The Power Ranger Chronicles - Jurassic World
by SJStarke
Summary: AU of the Power Rangers and Jurassic World. The story follows Dr. Tommy Oliver at the conclusion of Dino Thunder, he's ready to live the simple life until he discovers his stolen research is being used to generate a new form of Velociraptors. A call from an old friend reminds Tommy that it's not quite time to quit protecting others. I DO NOT OWN Power Rangers or Jurassic World.
1. Prologue

**The Power Ranger Chronicles: Jurassic World**

Prologue:

One Can Never Truly Leave the Ranger Life Behind

For the first time in a long time he was finally able to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. The many years he'd spent as a ranger, a college student, a teacher, and then a ranger again has taken a toll on him. He would finally admit to himself that he was tired; that it was time to take a step back and lead a simpler life. Maybe he could look into a new hobby or even take his mother's advice of finding a nice girl, settling down, and having a few kids. Though it seems unlikely for the time being, it's what she would like to see eventually. The thought of settling down and having a few children of his own made him both chuckle and groan at the same time. Now that his days as a ranger were over, he liked the idea of having a simple and uncomplicated life; he didn't see where a wife and children would fit in with his current situation. Besides, relationships were not exactly his strong suit. Nope, Doctor Thomas Oliver knew as much about relationships as he did about major league baseball – nothing. There was a time when he thought he had a good grasp on what it meant to be in a relationship but then he received that letter. Tommy groaned again, the very thought of relationships always circled back to her, his first love, Kimberly Hart. Sure he dated a few times after he received the letter but those were nothing compared to what he thought he had with Kimberly. Even after all this time he still harbored feelings for her and he felt that he always would. But rather than drudge this all up again he realized that he was already running late. His age and appearance may have changed but some things would always remain the same.

Doctor Tommy Oliver may be on summer vacation but he has to submit final grades before going away for his break from school. He also had to finish packing if he was going to make it back to Angel Grove on time for dinner with his parents. Tommy's parents, Grace and James Oliver lived in a modest two story house on the outskirts of Angel Grove. Moving to Reefside only placed him 3 hours away from the house that would become his parent's permanent home. The couple moved around a lot when Tommy was a young child as James was in the Army. When the couple moved to Angel Grove they knew that they had found the place they wanted to be once James retired from active duty. The trio had taken a picture in front of the house when the purchase was finalized; a copy now adorns Tommy's desk. Putting the frame down, Tommy finished packing up his bags and made his way out to his Jeep; with any luck he would only be a few minutes late.

As Tommy's parents house came into view he looked at the time, it was 5:57 pm, he had three minutes to spare! Tommy smiled as he pulled up the driveway and found a place to park. He pulled down his sun visor to look into the mirror. Cutting his dark brown hair short meant more potential for his hair to become unruly – he at least wanted to look like a civilized human for dinner. Reaching into the back seat he grabbed his suitcase and laptop case and got out of the Jeep. It was unseasonably cold for the first day of summer vacation, Tommy chose to wear a light black sweater with his khaki slacks. As he made his way towards the front door, it opened before he was able to reach the handle.

"Oh Tommy, my boy you're home!" His mom, Grace Oliver exclaimed. She pulled him into a bone crushing hug as she and James hadn't seen him since he moved to Reefside. She was of average height wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, it was a deep green which made her bright bluish green eyes and red hair shine vibrantly in the afternoon sun.

"Mom...it's. So...good." Was all he could manage between breaths.

"Okay, Grace, it's not like he's returning from war. It's high school, not the armed forces." James Oliver said while attempting to loosen Grace's grip off from their son. "At least let him get in the door and put his stuff down." James maybe retired but he still had the stance of a soldier. His brown hair was longer these days but still neat, flecks of silver began to line the sides of his head behind his ears. James was wearing jeans with a light flannel shirt rolled up at his elbows.

"Thanks dad, it's good to see you," Tommy said giving his dad a much lighter hug. Tommy walked into the living room and set down his bag by the shoe rack while he removed his boots.

"I'm sorry hunny," his mom said feeling a little embarrassed, "it's just been a while since you've been home." She tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

"It's okay mom, I missed you too." Tommy said stepping up to her and kissing her forehead. "I'm just going to take my things to my room and wash up for dinner."

Once they were all at the dinner table they settled into easy conversation. Grace discussed her job at the hospital while James talked about how much he enjoyed retirement. They also talked about life at home and asked Tommy about teaching at Reefside. Of course he had to tell them stories about Hayley, Kira, Ethan, and Conner which provided them with a lot of laughs. "Well Conner, Kira, and Ethan remind me of a few teenagers we used to know back in the 90's" Tommy's father said chuckling. "It's no surprise that they took to you so well, mischief seems to follow you where ever you go. Poor Hayley sounds like she has to run a lot of interference for the four of you" They all laughed.

"You have no idea dad," Tommy said taking a sip of his water.

"I'm sure those three keep you on your toes. That Kira certainly sounds a lot lik-" Grace stopped herself before she finished the sentence. She was about to apologize when Tommy stopped her.

"It's okay mom and yes she is very much like Kimberly," Tommy said, he knew that Grace missed Kim. The two had become close when Tommy was dating her and he also knew that they reconnected after Kimberly returned to Angel Grove for College. Grace was never able to have children of her own and had always wanted a daughter. When she and James adopted Tommy, he required a lot of care given the circumstances surrounding his birth. They never would have the opportunity to adopt another child. When Kimberly came into the picture Grace was finally given the chance to know a little of what it was like to have a daughter. Tommy did not want his mom to feel as if she had to choose between the two of them, deep down he knew Kim was genuinely a good person. "Mom, I know you still talk to Kimberly and I am fine with that," he said taking her hand in his.

"Really? It's not weird?" Grace Asked.

"No, I mean it's been what 17 years?" Wow 17 years!? He thought, is that even possible? "I've moved on and I am sure she's moved on as well."

"Well...ish," Grace started, she wasn't sure if she should continue talking about it.

"What do you mean by _ish_?" Tommy couldn't help but ask.

Well he asked, Grace began, "sweetheart she still asks about you and we've talked a little about the, well you know, the _letter_. I keep telling her to reach out because the two of you need to discuss this and I really didn't want to bring this up during your vacation," she was starting to ramble and she knew it. She looked apologetically at her son and then back at her husband who nodded his approval – I mean the dam had already burst. "There's a lot more to it than we originally thought, but first and foremost is that she regrets it. I think it's mostly because she misses your companionship, and besides that I feel like she's gotten in over her head by taking that job on the island and could really use your help." Grace wanted more than anything for the two of them to rekindle their friendship if nothing else. She was also really worried about Kimberly and her new job.

"I don't know mom," it had been a long time since he really thought about the situation as a whole. "I mean I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her in that capacity a little bit. But as far as help goes I don't...wait," Realization was starting to take root in his mind, Kimberly couldn't possibly be working _there?_ "What island are you talking about? You can't mea-" Tommy's question was cut off.

"She's taken a job with InGen as the Park Operations Manager on Isla Nublar for the newly redesigned park, Jurassic World." Grace said, she knew her son hated that organization, especially after what happened with the first park and in San Diego. She also knew that Kimberly was a strong girl and could take care of herself but still, she worried. It's not like Caroline Hart was an active participant in Kim's' life either, what parent chooses a man over their own child? Tommy's question brought her out of her reverie.

"They're calling it Jurassic World?" He couldn't believe that InGen was really going to go through with this...again, _"_ let me guess this place is going to be twice the size of the original park...what is she thinking joining up with that disgraceful organization? They're worse than Mercer Industries. People need to realize that even though they are not real dinosaurs, they are still living breathing animals that can't be controlled." Tommy felt his face getting warmer by the second and took another drink of his water.

James joined the conversation, "Tommy, we know you have always had reservations about this place, but Kimberly felt very strongly about being involved. She wanted to make sure that the right people were in place to ensure safe operations so that the mistakes from the original park are not repeated. You and Kimberly have always had that protective nature, especially for those who cannot protect themselves. It's why your mom and I feel that maybe you should think about reconsidering InGen's offer regarding the Raptor Program. No one knows the velociraptor like you do, at least if you were involved you could ensure the safety of both the people and the animals."

Tommy didn't know that anyone knew about the offer from InGen – Jason assured him that the conversation would go no further than between the two of them. Looks like Jason would only keep it quiet if he got his way and Tommy came on board. He was at a loss for words, all he could muster was, "how did you guys find out about that?"

James stated, "Jason stopped by the other day, we had no idea what he was up to nowadays so we asked. Turns out a lot of your former gang works for InGen in some capacity. It's interesting to me that InGen would actively recruit all of you given your past experiences with dinosaurs." He said giving Tommy a pointed look. Grace was also looking at him expectantly, he began to wonder where the conversation was headed. There was no way they knew.

"What do you mean by _experiences_?" Tommy asked, failing to keep the anxious tone out of his voice.

"Sweetheart, honestly," Grace said with a note of sarcasm in her voice. "Though you all tried, the lot of you were less than discreet in covering up your time spent as the rainbow warriors of Angel Grove. Then to see a new group turn up in Reefside the same year you became a teacher, it wasn't that hard to figure out. We might have been born at night Tommy but it certainly wasn't last night."

"You forget Tommy, we've also been to a lot of your karate matches, you have a fighting style that's kind of hard to miss," his father added with a touch of humor in his voice. Both of his parents were getting a kick out of the confused and almost crushed look on their son's face.

"Why didn't you tell me you kn-wait did you really just call us the rainbow warriors!?" Tommy asked turning to face his mother who was trying hard not to laugh. Tommy looked at his father who was looking down at the table to avoid eye contact because he thought it was pretty funny too. Tommy gave in and began to chuckle too, because he thought he had been so careful about concealing that life from his parents.

The rest of the night would consist of them talking about the good old days and Tommy's tenure as a power ranger. They never steered the conversation back to Jurassic World, which Tommy was thankful for. Now there were some things that he had to figure out before he could move on from the offer from InGen and the newly constructed Jurassic World.

Tommy would eventually retire to his room where he could perform some simple katas before going to bed. He hadn't told anyone about the offer from InGen because he figured it wasn't important, especially since turning it down. As it turns out there was more to the story. He couldn't help but wonder about the things his father said at dinner in reference to some of their former group working for InGen in some capacity. Was it a coincidence that some of them ended up on Isla Nublar working with dinosaurs or did someone else know about their past? It was a question he couldn't leave unanswered. In the morning he would contact Jason and try to figure out what was going on. So much for the promise of a peaceful summer. His father was right about him, he couldn't avoid his protective nature. Being a ranger was more than just the ability to morph and wear spandex. Part of it was ensuring that those in power acted responsibly and that their actions do not place innocent bystanders in harms way. As Tommy finished up his stretching he pushed everything out of his mind so he could get a good nights sleep, he could worry about this again in the morning.

Once morning broke over the hills in Angel Grove, Tommy found himself well rested and ready to tackle the day. He wasn't sure if Jason would even answer his phone but was pleasantly surprised when Jason answered on the second ring.

"I knew you missed me too much to let this opportunity pass by," Jason said when he picked up, while there was a note of sarcasm in his voice he really was relieved that Tommy called.

"Good morning Jas, nice to hear from you too," Tommy said, he was already starting to feel annoyed.

"Yeah whatever, I can only assume you're calling me because you talked to your parents last night. They told me you were coming for a visit once school ended for the summer," said Jason.

"I thought the offer was going to remain between us only?" Tommy asked. "I didn't want anyone to know they offered me a job: One because I'm a school teacher and I'm happy where I am, two because the research used to develop the Raptors was stolen from me, and three because I've told you it will never work, it's too dangerous!" Tommy felt his temper flaring.

"Tommy it's already in motion, the eggs are incubating and you need to be there when they hatch. I figured you of all people would want to see this thing through and be involved to ensure the project has the proper controls and safeguards in place." Jason couldn't understand why Tommy didn't want to be involved, this was his baby after all. Plus potential lives are at risk. "You're the only person I know that's trustworthy enough to do the right thing, especially when it comes to the safety of others. You took an oath as a Ranger, do you really think that ends when the power goes away?"

Tommy could feel himself wearing down, Jason was right, he couldn't just walk away now. He had tried and failed to destroy the research he'd done as an intern for Anton Mercer but it was stolen from him before he had the chance. Now it was in the hands of InGen's genetic engineers and already being put to use. He feared that if he didn't get involved that it would eventually lead to a situation that was beyond control. Besides, could he really go back to Reefside knowing that what he discovered in his research was possible and even happening at this very moment? It really was going to be a long summer, he thought. Tommy made up his mind, "Jason, I'll give you two months, if this situation begins to get out of control then we will have no choice but to put the Raptors down and terminate the program."

Relief flooded over Jason. "There he is, that's more like the Tommy Oliver I remember. Did you really think I called you because I thought the Raptor Program was a good idea?" Jason asked sarcastically. Taking a more serious tone he said, "Tommy, the plan was going to happen with or without us, why do you think I influenced the higher ups to hire former rangers? We know what these animals are capable of, even as being genetic replicas of the actual dinosaur. I'd never be able to terminate this program without you if it started to go South."

Tommy relaxed a little, now that he knew Jason's true intentions he felt a little guilty for being so standoffish. "Sorry Jas, I didn't realize you had as many reservations about this as I did. When would you like me there."

"No worries man, spend the rest of the week with your folks and meet me at the Angel Grove airport on Monday," Jason replied, he was starting to feel a lot better about this whole thing. "Rest up old man, we've got a lot of work ahead of us," he hung up before Tommy could respond to being called an old man.

The next year would move at lightning speed. As it turned out the Velociraptors were more manageable than anyone believed possible. Since Tommy was their main handler they would go where he went. Tommy really didn't want to give up teaching so in the fall he was allowed to return to Reefside much to the displeasure of his direct supervisor. When the owner, Simon Masrani found out that Tommy had access to hundreds of acres of secure property (the area in the deep woods where the Dinozords had been housed previously) he had no problem authorizing the movement of the Raptors. This allowed Tommy and Jason to have complete control over the project. It also provided them with safe training grounds that had the latest technology in place to protect the animals and to prevent others from stumbling onto them accidentally. They had until the following summer to prepare the animals for their first field test which would take place back on Isla Nublar at Jurassic World.

 _ **Authors Notes: Well that's it for the prologue – what did everyone think? This is my very first fanfiction, it was a story I've been thinking about for a little while now. I finally found the nerve to try writing it. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome. Happy reading friends :-) ~ SJStarke**_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _Childhood is a Short Season_ – Helen Hayes

Justin Hart might not know a lot of things about life, but what he did know at this moment was that he was ready. He had been waiting for this day since Christmas! As he clicked through the dinosaur themed slides in his red View-Master again he felt his excitement begin anew. Dinosaurs were Justin's life and he could not wait until he was finally able to see one up close. He felt like the luckiest 6th grader in the world; who else could say that their Aunt was the operations manager at the biggest park in the world? Justin looked at his watch again for the 7th time in the last 5 minutes, it was 9:45 am, they would be leaving in 15 minutes. He smiled again as he got up off his bed and ran over to his desk to unplug his Ipad Mini from it's charger. He had a long flight ahead of him and he wanted to be prepared. Just as he unplugged the charger from the wall to put it into his bag he could hear his dad coming up the stairs. He did a last minute check of his bag, everything he needed for a week in a tropical climate was accounted for. As Kevin Hart was walking into his son's room he saw Justin putting on a light jacket and backpack. He knew that his youngest son would be ready to go, regardless if anyone else in the house was – including himself. "Hey sport! I see you're ready to get on the road. I wish I could say the same about your brother." Kevin smiled down at Justin, the two walked out of the bedroom and towards the stairs.

"Is Fred still saying goodbye to his stup-" Justin was cut off by his father. He immediately regretted his choice of words.

"Justin, what did I say?" Kevin admonished, "You shouldn't call anyone stupid."

"Sorry dad, I mean is he still saying goodbye to Heather?" Justin said rolling his eyes.

Kevin couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face. "Relax Justin, one day you'll understand and then you'll be the one we all have to wait for."

"Doubtful dad, I'll never like girls more than I like dinosaurs," Justin said as a matter-of-fact. If you say so son, was all Kevin could think. He had to pretend to cough to stifle the laugh that almost escaped his lips. As the two walked out the front door Kevin could see that his oldest son Fred still was indeed saying goodbye to his girlfriend Heather. Though Kevin was reluctant about this trip, he had to get Fred in the car so that they could make the airport on time for the boys flight. He had to stifle a laugh again when he was able to overhear some of their conversation.

Heather looking longingly into Fred's eyes, "call me everyday," she said while hanging onto his hands for dear life. "And make sure you text me pictures too, so I don't forget what you look like."

Fred was trying really hard not to roll his eyes when he replied, "I'm only going to be gone for a week Heath."

Kevin almost thought about letting his oldest son suffer a little while longer but thought better of it; Justin was getting antsy and if they did wait any longer they'd be late. He was about to say something when the boy's mother Cindy beat him to it. "Fred come on! Let's move!" She yelled.

Heather feigned ignorance to Cindy's calls and tried to hold onto Fred's hands a little bit longer. Finally getting fed up with the nonsense, Kevin added, "Fred, you're not being sent off to war, let's pack it in!" Putting a hint of authority behind his voice.

Heather reluctantly let go of Fred's hands and said, "I love you," just as Fred patted her arm and said "I'll see you later. Bye." He walked away before Heather could grab hold of him again. He might not be excited for this trip but at least he could have a few days of freedom from this place and from Heather. He got into the family SUV without looking back as he didn't want to see if she was crying or not. He really didn't know what to do with her sometimes.

"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Hart, make sure Ms. Hart takes good care of him," Heather said trying to sound as if she wasn't devastated that Fred was leaving.

"Goodbye Heather," Cindy called to her, she was trying especially hard to sound genuine. Cindy couldn't stand her sometimes and didn't want it to show.

"Bye Heather," Kevin said as he got behind the wheel of the SUV. Once in the car he and the boys mother looked back at Fred with knowing smiles across their faces.

Cindy said, "Oh sweetheart I know it hurts." She pouted at him sarcastically.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kevin asked in mocked concern.

"You guys are hil-ar-i-ous," he said emphasizing each syllable, he was so glad the back windows were tinted so that Heather couldn't see this exchange between them. Cindy and Kevin turned back towards the front of the SUV. As Kevin put the SUV in reverse he could still see Heather on the walkway, she was going to watch them until they were out of sight. Kevin couldn't help but think about what her parents must be like. As he got on the highway and set the cruise control he almost reached towards Cindy to hold her hand but he quickly corrected and placed his elbow on the center console. Cindy must have realized Kevin's mistake because she reached over with her right hand and patted his. The boys were unaware that the couple was going through the beginning stages of a divorce. They were still trying to work together for the sake of the boys, so they decided that it was best to wait to tell them after they returned from Isla Nublar. They had both decided that the boys would go by themselves to the island because all Kevin's sister would have to do was to take one look at the two of them and know there was trouble. Kimberly Hart was a very observant individual, nothing could get past Kevin's little sister. Cindy and Kevin were doing okay putting up a strong front in front of the boys but knew that one moment with Kimberly meant that the facade would come crumbling down, and quite frankly, Cindy was sick of crying.

The Angel Grove airport had quite a few travelers for a Sunday morning; this did nothing to help settle Kevin's nerves. He may have spent the last 20 years on the Angel Grove police force but nothing he faced in his job compared to the fear he had for putting his two young sons on an international flight – alone. The gaggle of Hart's made their way from the check-in kiosk, to baggage claim, and onto the security checkpoint where it was finally time for Kevin and Cindy to say goodbye to their boys. "You guys are going to have so much fun! I'm so jealous," Cindy said giving Justin a tight hug.

Justin said, "I wish you were coming with us." He was really disappointed when his parents informed them that they would be going alone. Even though he knew his brother was going to be a royal jerk the whole trip, there was no way he was going to let Fred ruin this for him. Besides Aunt Kimberly would protect him. He turned towards his father to give him a hug.

"I know sweetheart, but I have to work," Cindy said as she turned towards Fred. "I'm going to give," Fred wasn't listening. "Fred!" She yelled over the music that was blaring in his earbuds. Once she had his attention she held out the plane tickets to him, "I'm giving these to you and I'm expecting you to watch your brother. I'm serious. And also, when I call I expect you to answer – I didn't turn on an international calling plan for you to ignore my calls. It's the green button, when you see my face pop up on the screen – you push it." Cindy said to her eldest son, her tone serious.

Kevin left his hands on Justin's shoulders as he turned towards his Fred, "listen to your mother Fred. We're counting on you to be responsible this week. You want a car for your birthday? Then this is your chance to prove you're capable of handling adult responsibilities."

Fred tried hard not to roll his eyes at either of his parents. He shook his head, "yes I'll make sure and do those things." He really wanted a car so that he could finally be free to go see his friends whenever he wanted. Fred walked up to his father and gave him a very brief hug and turned towards his mom and did the same thing. He didn't want them to think he was faking it and also that he was being ungrateful. Maybe this trip would be fun, he hadn't seen his Aunt in over a year and he's never been to another country before. The family said their final goodbyes and the boys walked towards the gate that lead to their airplane. Once Fred gave the gate attendant the tickets, he and Justin turned back towards their parents and gave a final wave. Turning towards the gateway door, a stewardess was waiting to escort them to their seats. It was the airport's policy that a flight attendant stay with them from gate to gate where a responsible party was present to pick them up. The boys didn't mind; however, as they got to get on the plane first and they got to sit together in business class seating. There was definitely a lot more room for comfort. Fred buckled his seat belt and went back to listening to music. Justin was so excited that they were finally on the plane, he fastened his seat belt and sat back for a moment to relax and take it all in. A few minutes later his excitement had gotten the better of him and he was fast asleep before the plane was even finished boarding. Six hours later they would be arriving at the airport in Isla Nublar and vacation would officially begin.

Back in the waiting area, Kevin paced as he waited for the plane to finish boarding. He wanted to see the plane take off. Cindy watched her soon-to-be ex-husband and finally asked, "Did you ever get a hold of your sister?"

"It went straight to voicemail, she rarely answers my calls during the day." He stopped pacing and pulled out his phone to look at it for the 20th time. He didn't know what he was expecting it to show him, he just needed something to occupy his hands and mind. He ran a hand through his hair, this uneasiness was close to driving him over the edge.

"Kevin," Cindy said walking over to him, "they are going to be fine," she tried to help calm him down. "Besides, your sister handles, what? Twenty thousand people a day, she can mange two more." She knew this was doing nothing to help him with the uneasiness he felt. Truth be told she was trying to control her own anxiety. She squeezed his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. Before she was able to say much more she heard a commotion coming from the end of the security checkpoint.

"Please hold the plane!" Shouted a man in duress. "I'm coming, I'm so sorry!" The man ran towards the gate attendant with his hand outstretched.

"Calm down sir, you just made it on time," the gate attendant said with a smile.

"Oh thank goodness!" He said taking a breath. "I forgot my wallet at home and had to go all the way back to Reefside for it. I guess I'm just always destined to be late," he said with a small chuckle.

The gate attendant laughed, "not to worry Dr. Oliver, you are right on time. You're seat in business class is ready and waiting for you." She stated.

"Great," Tommy took back his boarding pass and Identification. "Thank you for your help...Claire." He said looking at her name tag.

"You're welcome and I hope you have a pleasant flight Dr. Oliver." Claire the gate attendant said as he walked through the doorway and onto the ramp leading to the plane.

Dr. Oliver? Kevin thought to himself, was that Tommy, as in the one his sister was head over heels in love with back in the day? Seeing Tommy helped Kevin to forget all about his nerves for a few minutes. There wasn't a memory Kevin had back in the 90s that didn't have that boy in them. He wondered if Tommy would even remember him as it was so long ago; he definitely wouldn't know Fred or Justin. Back then he thought for sure that Tommy was going to be his brother-in-law one day. Kevin still to this day fails to understand what his sister was thinking when she sent Tommy that _Dear John_ letter and believe her in the slightest when she says she's moved on. Kevin came out of his thoughts when he noticed the plane was starting to back away from the gate and make it's way onto the runway. In just a few minutes his boys would be airborne and traveling far away from him. He quickly sent Kim a text to let her know they were on the way. He was shocked when she text back immediately, _Great, can't wait to see them! I will call you when I'm out of my meeting. Love you 3._ A meeting? On a Sunday? Only Kimberly, thought Kevin. He typed back a quick love you too and let Cindy know about the text message. Both parents took a steady breath as they saw the plane speeding down the runway and lifting up into the air. Cindy and Kevin Hart then traveled home in complete silence.

Tommy waited until the no electronics sign went off before he pulled out his laptop to finish up his notes for tomorrow's field test. He felt that the raptors were as ready as they would ever be, they obeyed commands, for the most part. He would demonstrate a few of the drills that he and Jason developed over the last year. Only time would tell if this program was going to work or not. Tommy always had doubts in the back of his mind, especially when it came to dealing with wild animals. After a few hours in flight it was time for the meal to be served, Tommy shutdown his laptop and placed it in the case. When he held up his arms to stretch he turned towards the two boys who were in business class with him. He stopped short when he looked at them, they looked very familiar to him but he had to convince himself he did not know them. He was surprised at how well behaved they were given that they appeared to be by themselves. The boys had no idea that the man riding next to them was even looking in their direction. Justin had woken up from his nap and was reading a book on his Ipad, while Fred was playing a game on his Iphone. The boys put their devices away when the flight attendant brought them their meals. Tommy decided he was suffering from a lack of sleep and focused on his meal. Even though he never gave it a second thought, he'd discover why they looked familiar in due time – even if he wasn't expecting it.

The meeting was finally over and she was finally free, well for the rest of the day anyways. She had prepared the information the best she could and when the representatives from Verizon Wireless came to the facility tomorrow, she was going to knock their socks off! They wanted to sponsor an attraction at Jurassic World, then they were in the prime position to do so. The genetic engineers for InGen had really cooked up something special with this hybrid dinosaur. Yes, the _Archeaornithomimus_ or Indominus Rex, was ready and waiting for the world to lay eyes on her. But Kimberly would worry about that later, she had lots to do before her nephews arrived at the airport. As she pulled the Land Rover into the garage at her condo, she grabbed her shoulder bag and made her way inside. She peeled off her business attire and heals, showered, and chose to wear something a little more her. She walked into her closest and found a pink Under Armor t-shirt and matching black shorts. Once she was dressed she grabbed her Iwatch and put it back on, if only these watches existed back when she was a ranger things would have been a whole lot easier. Looking at the time she knew she had plenty of time to get to the airport in time to pick up her nephews. This would also give her a chance to call Kevin while she waited for the plane to land. She was pretty disappointed that Kevin and Cindy were flaking on this vacation and equally as surprised when they allowed the boys to come to Central America all by themselves. Something was up with those two, the last few times she talked to Kevin she could hear it in his voice. It was almost like he wanted to tell her something but couldn't spit it out. Well maybe today she would ask him what was going on.

Kimberly was right about the amount of time she had before the boys landed at the airport. She had made sure to clear her schedule today so that there would be no question. She hadn't seen her nephews in over a year and that was one year too long in her opinion. It would be an even longer wait before she would get to see her brother. Now that she was in the waiting area by the gate her nephews would be departing from she pulled out her phone and called Kevin.

"That was one hell of a meeting Sis," was the greeting that met her ear after only a few rings.

"Okay I'll admit it, I didn't call you RIGHT after the meeting," she replied. "I had a few errands to run and was starving, I didn't think you'd appreciate me chewing in your ear."

"No, not particularly. Anyways, are the boys there yet?" Kevin asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"Kevin Michael Hart, you're going to tell me that you haven't been tracking their flight since the moment it took off? You know it's a six hour flight and there's about 15 minutes left to it." Kimberly said, she knew her brother better than he knew himself sometimes.

"Yeah, I guess I was just hoping by some miracle that the plane was on the ground and that you've laid eyes on them." Kevin said as he paced around his study.

"Kevin," Kimberly was trying not to sound too sympathetic but enough was enough. "Alright Sergeant Hart, are you going to spill the beans as to what's up with you or am I going to have to figure out how to teleport to your location and beat it out of you." Jokes on him, she knew that she could if she REALLY wanted to...

"God! How do you DO THAT!?" Kevin was incredulous, he really wanted to know how she was so perceptive. Maybe she should have been a police officer, she could get anything out of anyone.

"It's a gift, now SPILL." She demanded. She had a feeling she already knew what was happening but was hoping it was anything but that.

Kevin took a deep breath, "Cindy and I are getting divorced."

Kim was quiet for a moment before she responded, "Oh, well damn."

"Yeah. It's been coming for quite sometime now, we just wanted to try all other options before we made this decision. I really don't want Fred and Justin to go through what we went through with our parents." Kevin still harbored negative feelings towards his parents for the decisions they made when they divorced. He was a senior in high school when they split up and was already on the way to becoming a police officer with the Junior Police Force. But poor Kimberly would be stuck right smack in the middle of all the fallout between them which also caused him to have a falling out with their parents. His only regret with that was the fact that his mother would not allow him to see Kimberly for a long time after that, his father just disappeared from his life completely. It was months before he was able to see Kim again and that was only because he showed up to one of her gymnastics meets uninvited. Kevin refocused on the conversation, "anyways Kim, can we talk about this another time? I'm still trying to rap my head around all this."

"Sure," was all she was able to say. Inside her heart was breaking for her brother. She knew now just how hard their parents divorce had been on him. At the time her parents made her believe that her brother was the one who refused to see her. When she found out the truth she confronted both of them and even though it was years after the fact, they reacted negatively and stopped talking to her too. So now it's just her and Kevin, Cindy, and the boys – that was their immediate family. "So do the boys know?" Kim asked.

"No, we thought it best to wait until they came home from vacation," Kevin said.

"Okay, mums the word. I promise that by this time tomorrow they will be having the time of their lives," Kimberly smiled into the receiver. She was already thinking of fun things they could do together.

He couldn't help himself, "Just remember, a promise tomorrow is worth a lot less than trying today," Kevin replied sarcastically.

"Urgh! You're quoting MOM now?" She asked in disbelief, well two could play that game, "you know what? Do me a favor and pull up your phone's camera."

"How am I gonna do that, I'm using it," he asked feigning ignorance.

"Put it on speaker!" She yelled a little louder than she'd meant to. She looked around the waiting area to make sure people weren't staring at her.

"Geez, alright," Kevin did as he was asked. "Okay, now what?"

"I want you to take a selfie and then send it to me because I'm pretty sure that after a smart-ass remark like that you must be wearing mom's lipstick too," Kimberly said into her phone.

"Hey! Siren Song Red is a man's shade!" He said in all seriousness, "it makes me look very debonair I've been told."

Kimberly started laughing at that, "Skull's opinion doesn't count, he thinks the sun shines out of your backside. Especially now that you're a Sergeant." She was referencing her former friend from high school and Kevin's former partner on the police force. "Oh Kevin good news! The plane has landed, the boys should be coming through the gateway doors any minute now.

"Thank God!" Kevin was finally starting to feel a sense of relief. "Oh that reminds me, you'll never guess who I saw get on the flight before it took off."

"I give up, who was it?" Kim really had no idea who her brother could be talking about.

He all of a sudden wasn't sure if his sister would want to hear this but oh well, he already made the statement. "Dr. Thomas Oliver. Yeah, you heard me right, DOCTOR," he said putting emphasis on his title. His sister remained quite for so long he had to look at his cellphone to make sure the call didn't get dropped. "Kim, hello?" It was too late though, the gate doors had opened behind her and she could already sense his presence.

She didn't want to give herself away so she remained with her back to the door and refocused back on her brother. "Yeah, I'm here. You just caught me off guard with that." She felt like she was being watched but refused to turn around. "Anyways Kev, the boy-" she was cut off by her nephews' excited screams.

"AUNT KIM!" They shouted together, both of them ran towards her. She barely had time to turn around before they both wrapped their arms around her. She almost dropped her cellphone. The stewardess approached Kimberly and asked her for her Identification. Understanding that it was the policy of the airline, Kimberly handed her phone to Fred and provided the attendant with her identification and signed the form taking responsibility for the boys. She forgot all about Tommy.

"Alright guys everything's set, are you ready to go?" She asked the boys. She took back her phone and put it on speaker phone. "Kevin can you hear me?"

"Yeah I can hear you." He replied.

"The boy's and I are all set," Kim said into the air. "I'll call you tomorrow big brother, I love you!"

"I love you too Kim. Okay guys, have fun with your Aunt Kim and make sure you behave while you're with her!" Kevin said.

"Okay dad, I love you." Justin replied.

"You bet, dad. See you next week, love you," Fred said.

"I love you too," Kevin said. "Bye." Kimberly took the boys down to the baggage claim so that they could retrieve their luggage and be on their way.

 _Moments Before:_ Man am I glad that that's over with, Tommy thought to himself. He didn't miss flying down here. While the Raptor program seems to be going well he still felt unsure about what was happening here. He hadn't felt this uneasy since the days he had spent as a power ranger, and he couldn't understand why that was. The park had been back in operations for a few years now and without incident. He may not have seen her in the last year but he knew enough to know that the reason this place was so successful was because of it's operations manager. As he made his way down the ramp and out the gateway door he pulled up short. Speak...or think of the devil. He couldn't see her from the front but he knew without a doubt that the woman standing with her back to him was none other than Kimberly Ann Hart. Her hair may be pulled back but it was still long and the same shade of light brown. She didn't look all that different to him, she still had the stance of a gymnast. She might be a little less toned than she was back then but she was still fit and had a slight tan. He wondered what she was doing there and was about to walk up to her when the two boys he shared the flight with screamed out, "AUNT KIM!" Once that happened he was finally able to place why he thought he knew those two boys, the Hart's had a strong family resemblance. She finally turned around but was so focused on the boys that she never even noticed he was there. Time had definitely been better to the former pink ranger than it had been to the former Green, White, Red, and Black one, he thought. She definitely wasn't a teenager anymore but she still had that youthful glow she'd always had. The longer he stayed there staring the better the chances were of her noticing him. He wasn't sure which he would rather have happen. Thankfully the decision would be made for him. His phone rang which reminded him of where he was and why he was there in the first place. He had a feeling that this particular trip to the island was going to prove to be the most interesting one yet. Turning away from Kimberly and her nephews he answered his cellphone and started walking towards the doorway that would take him to the baggage claim. The sign over the door read: WELCOME TO ISLA NUBLAR.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Calm Before the Storm

"I don't want to wait any longer!" Justin exclaimed, "please, oh please, oh please can we go check out the park now?" He was so close he couldn't stand it. Kimberly's Land Rover just passed through the gates to the personnel parking lot.

"Relax dude, Aunt Kim has to do her presentation first," Fred said trying to calm his brother. He had to admit that his brother's excitement was contagious. Even he was looking forward to checking this place out.

"It's okay Fred," Kim said smiling at Justin in the rear view mirror. "So I have a suggestion for the both of you. What if one of the guides from the park took you guys inside while I make the presentation and we meet back up for lunch? This way you don't have to be bored in my office waiting for me."

"YEAH! Can we really?" Justin asked.

"Are you sure Aunt Kim?" Fred asked.

"Don't be silly, Fred. Some of our park guides were hired just for taking children," seeing his scrunched face at being called a child caused her to add, "and teens throughout the park. This way parents can enjoy some alone time or check out the other services the resort has to offer."

Justin thought about this for a second, "But Aunt Kim, you'll miss all the fun."

"I promise you wont even know that I'm not there. My presentation might take a while and you guys are here for vacation not to watch me work. I will make sure that I am finished by lunch time and then I can show you around the control room," Kim said.

"Wow, really! That would be so cool," the boys said together.

Once Kimberly found her designated parking spot the trio got out of her car and made their way through the front doors. Once inside she asked the front desk clerk to contact the park ranger's office to have them send down a tour guide. She asked them to send Aisha Campbell but would understand if she wasn't available. Kimberly was thrilled when the door to the park guide's area opened to reveal none other than who she requested.

"Kim! I feel so honored that you would request me specifically," Aisha said walking up to her and giving her a hug.

"Aisha, I told them if you were already out that it was fine," she said hugging her back.

Pulling back from Kim she said, "listen, park guides are never too busy when the park operations manager makes a request for their services," causing them both to laugh. "So how can I help you today Ms. Hart?" Aisha replied taking a more professional tone.

Indicating her two nephews, "Aisha Campbell I would like you to meet my nephews Fred and Justin Hart," Kimberly said putting a hand on the boys shoulders as she introduced them.

"Hi," said Justin a little timid.

"Nice to meet you ," said Fred shaking her hand.

"It's so nice to meet the both of you. Your aunt talks about you all the time," Aisha said in greeting both of them. The boys looked at their aunt who shook her head to confirm the information.

Kim continued, "I was hoping you could take them around zone 1 while I make the Verizon Wireless presentation and meet us back here for lunch." Everyone knew about the new attraction and that it needed a sponsor.

"Of course Ms. Hart," she said smiling at the trio, "it would be my pleasure." Aisha said. "I can show you guys the nursery petting zoo, Rocky the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Mosasaurus feeding show, and then we can go catch the Gyrosphere ride where you'll get to see all kinds of dinosaurs out in the wilderness of the park," as Aisha spoke Justin's smile increased with each attraction on the list.

"This is the greatest day of my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Justin said hugging Kimberly and then turning around to take Aisha's outstretched hand. This display caused the group to laugh; his shyness was overtaken by the prospect of finally seeing a real life T-Rex.

"I didn't realize how many things there were to do here," Fred said impressed. Turning to his Aunt, "thanks Aunt Kim. You're sure this is okay?" He asked.

"Absolutely, Ms. Campbell knows all the ins and outs of the park. You guys have fun and I'll be with you as soon as I'm finished. Aisha I'll text you if I'm running late," Kim said.

"Sure thing. You can count on me," she said smiling at Kim.

"Fred you have my number too, just in case." Kim didn't want to sound paranoid but liked to make sure all her bases were covered. Fred nodded at her after he looked in his contacts to make sure. "Okay guys, I'll see you soon." Kim smiled at them. As the boys and Aisha turned towards the exit that would take them to the nursery petting zoo a small bubble started to form in the pit of her stomach. She was sure it was just nerves building for the presentation she'd be making in a short while. She looked at her Iwatch, 8:00 am on the dot, she had an hour and a half before the representatives from Verizon Wireless were brought to the main conference room. Good, she thought, this gives me enough time to check on a few things before my presentation. Kimberly hit the button for the elevator, first coffee and then to the control room to check in with Adam and Trini.

When the elevator doors open again Kimberly is facing a large room filled with the latest computer monitoring technology. There are multiple screens on the wall with many technicians working from 4 rows of long desks. Kimberly walked towards the middle of the room where two of her most trusted technicians were hard at work. Trini Kwan and Adam Park watch over the entire park from the control room. If anything happened they were the first to know about it; Kimberly knew she could trust them to keep her in the know regarding everything that went on in the park. "Good morning, Adam, Trini," she said nodding to both.

"Good morning Ms. Hart," they both answered.

"What's the live count?" Kimberly asked.

Trini looked down at the computer screen on her desk and read the information, "Twenty-two thousand, two hundred and sixteen."

"Any incidents?" Kimberly asked taking a sip of her coffee.

"Yes, six kids in the lost and found and 28 people have been treated in medical for heat stroke." As Adam spoke he grabbed his fountain soda and turned towards Kimberly.

Kim was taking in the information and before she could respond she noticed his t-shirt, her eyes went wide. "Where did you get that?" She asked indicating the shirt.

Adam smiled, he was beaming with pride. "Oh, I go this on eBay, it's awesome right? It cost me $150 but a mint condition one goes for over $300." His excitement began to fade when he noticed Kimberly's expression.

"Adam, don't you think that might be in poor taste?" She asked looking at the Jurassic Park t-shirt, willing it to have any picture other than the original park's logo on it. Of all days that logo appeared it had to be the one when her nephew's were in the park and she had a presentation still hanging in the balance, talk about a bad omen.

"I'm sorry Kim, I guess I didn't," he said crestfallen.

Kimberly saw Adam's reaction and backtracked a little, "Adam, I didn't mean to make you feel bad and I know how much you appreciate the idea behind the original park. Please just don't wear that shirt to work."

"You got it boss," Adam said. "You do have to admit though," he said finding the courage to debate with her a little more, "that first park was legit. And I do have a lot of respect for it, they didn't need genetic hybrids. All they needed were just dinosaurs." He said smiling, Kim couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. She really did love the guy like a brother.

"Oh Adam, what will I ever do with you?" She asked taking another sip of her coffee. She was about to ask Trini a question when Adam got her attention once more.

"Hey Kim, remember? Welcome to Jurassic Park," he smiled mischievously. Then the phone on his desk rang. He answered, "Control, Park speaking."

Kimberly laughed nervously but didn't let her emotions show. She would always remember Phaedos, but that was a different time and this is a different place. Not wanting to loose focus Kim turned back to the main screen on the far wall in front of them. "Hey Trini, why are the West Plains closed?"

"Another Pachy was found roaming outside his zone, but he's fully sedated and ready for relocation," Trini answered.

Annoyed Kimberly said, "security said that those invisible fences were a no-fail. That's the second time this month."

"What's happening is the Pachy's are shorting out their implants when they butt heads," Trini said turning towards her friend.

Kimberly considered this, she would set up a meeting with the Pachy's handler team and security in the next week to see how the problem could be fixed. She continued to watch the screen and asked, "How much longer until he's taken out of there?"

"It might be a little bit, he just received five milligrams of carfentanil," Trini answered.

Before Kim could respond Adam hung up the phone and said, "Kim, I just got a call. Mr. Masrani wants you to meet him on the landing platform upstairs. He wants to go see the new attraction before the presentation."

Kimberly was not anticipating this but still had time before the representatives from Verizon Wireless arrived. When the boss says he wants to meet, you do so without question. Kimberly finished her coffee and said goodbye to Adam and Trini and made her way back to the elevator. The elevator chimed when it reached the top floor and Kimberly walked out to the door that would lead her to the rooftop landing platform. Once there her boss, Simon Masrani was waiting for her by a helicopter. Kimberly and Simon exchanged greetings and got into the helicopter, imagine her surprise when she saw her boss start to handle the controls. She put on her safety harness and prayed.

"Mr. Masrani, you're flying," she said a little scared.

"I got my license," he said as a matter-of-fact. The flight instructor who was with him held up two fingers and Masrani corrected himself, "okay, in two more days." Kim was happy he couldn't see the terrified look in her eyes. He continued, "so how's my park doing?"

"Everything's good," Kimberly began. Pulling up the spreadsheet on her phone she read, "profits are up two and a half percent over last year and guest satisfaction is holding steady, our surveys indicate that it's in the low 90s."

"Good, good. Now lets go check out our new dinosaur." He said steering the helicopter in the direction of the new dinosaur paddock. The rest of the flight is a little bumpy as Simon Masrani works to keep the helicopter in the air. When they land Kimberly is thankful to be on solid ground again, she dreads the return flight. The flight instructor bolts towards the bushes and disappears. Kim thinks she can hear him tossing up his breakfast, but rather than say anything she walks in silence towards the entrance to paddock 13.

As Simon Masrani walks up the stairs he notices the construction crew that is hard at work, "I thought construction was complete here."

"It was but the dinosaur grew bigger than we expected. Asset containment felt it was necessary to build the walls higher," Kimberly answered. They both survey the size of the outer walls. The two walked through the entrance of the paddock and made their way towards the observation deck. As Masrani walks to the large glass windows he notices the large crack in the glass. Before he could ask Kimberly answered, "we hit a few speed bumps early on, she began to anticipate where her food would come from and she tried to break the glass." As Kimberly spoke they saw movement in the trees that grew within the dinosaur's paddock. The dinosaur doesn't fully emerge but they can see parts of her, a sense of foreboding falls over Kimberly.

"I like her spirit," says Masrani, he looks upon his newest attraction with a sense of pride.

"Think it'll scare the kids?" Kimberly asked, though she wasn't so sure about this animal. She knew this was always the direction the park wanted to take once the lab had it's first breakthrough in the hybrid division.

"This will give their parent's nightmares," Simon said. "Say, weren't there two of them?" He asked.

"Yes originally there were two, in case this one didn't make it past infancy," Kimberly responded.

"What happened to it?" He asked her.

"She ate it," Kimberly said. They both looked at each other for a moment. Kimberly could sense the excitement her boss was feeling, she wished she felt the same. Something about this dinosaur made her feel uneasy. At first she thought it was just nerves but every time she came out here it seemed to get worse.

Changing the subject back to the paddock her boss asked, "So the paddock is quite safe then?"

"Yes, we've taken the suggestions from asset containment very seriously and we have the best structural engineers in the world," she said.

"Yeah, so did Hammond," Masrani said more to himself than in response to Kim. "Kimberly, there's an American here, he's a Doctor of Paleontology and in charge of one of our other research projects. His name is Thomas Oliver." Kimberly keeps a professional demeanor but groans internally.

"Yes, I know who he is," she says as evenly as she can.

"Part of his research deals with animals that try to escape, they're smart. He has to be smarter than they are." He says, Kimberly's cheeks start to flush. He does not notice her discomfort and continues, "I want you to bring him in. Let him inspect the paddock, maybe he'll see something we can't."

No, no, PLEASE NO! Kim screams internally, though she's still smiling at her boss. It's on the verge of becoming demented but she regains her composure. "Mr. Masrani, I don't think w-" she's cut off.

"I'm not asking, you'll do it," he said sternly, Kimberly shakes her head yes but does not quite meet his eyes with her own. "Now lets get you back to the visitor's center so you can make the sales pitch to get this attraction sponsored." With that the two of them left Paddock 13 and flew back to the visitor center. The pit that formed in Kimberly's gut earlier returned, she was beginning to feel as if this day was cursed.

Kimberly was able to calm her nerves once she reached her office and took a second to sit back and refocus her energy on the coming presentation. She would worry about dealing with Tommy later. The alarm on her watch chimed indicating it was time to go downstairs for her meeting with Verizon Wireless. In the elevator Kimberly looked at her notes on her cellphone, she wanted to make sure she knew the names of the representatives. She read the information aloud to herself, "Hal Osterly, Vice-President, Jim Drucker, bad hair, Erica Brand, deserves better...Hal, Jim, Erica, Hal, Jim, Erica, and I am Kimberly Hart...on the verge of a mental breakdown." Welcome to the seventh circle of Hades, I mean, Jurassic World, she thought to herself.

Kimberly and the three representatives are walking towards the lab, one of them looks up to read: Hammond Creation Lab. Scientists are hard at work as visitors are able to watch them through the windows on the opposite side of the lab. Kimberly continues her presentation, "while year after year revenue continues to clime, operating costs are higher than ever. Our shareholders have been patient, but let's be honest, no one's impressed by a dinosaur anymore. Twenty years ago, de-extinction was right up there with magic. These days, kids look at a stegosaurus like an elephant from the city zoo. That doesn't mean that asset development has fallen behind, our DNA excavators discover new species every year. But consumers want them bigger. Louder. More teeth." She said emphasizing each trait they've exploited with the park's newest creation. "The good news? Our advances in gene splicing have opened up a whole new frontier. We've learned more from genetics in the past decade than we have in the last century of digging up bones." They continue walking until they reach a wall with a touchscreen display that shows a DNA double helix. "So when you say you want to sponsor an attraction, what do you have in mind?" She asked the team of representatives before her.

Hal Osterly responds, "we want to be thrilled."

"Don't we all," Kimberly stated before sliding her finger across the touchscreen causing the DNA double helix to spin. "The Indominus Rex. Our first genetically modified hybrid," she says proudly.

"So how do you make two dinosaurs...you know?" Jim Drucker asks struggling with the ability to say mate, he results to making awkward hand gestures. Kim tries not to laugh, he obviously doesn't get the concept behind genetic engineering.

Dr. Henry Wu walks up behind them and joins the conversation, "Oh, Indominus wasn't bread, she was designed. She will be fifty feel long when she's fully grown. Bigger than our T-Rex."

Kimberly expands on Dr. Wu's statement, "every time we've unveiled a new asset, attendance has spiked. Global news coverage. Celebrity visitors. Eyes of the world." And there it is Kimberly thought triumphantly, she could all but see dollar signs in the eyes of the representatives before her.

"When will she be ready?" Hal Osterly asked.

"She already is," Dr. Wu said nodding slightly to Kimberly. They had the investors eating out of the palms of their hands.

Kimberly had some time to spare before lunch so she decided to get Mr. Masrani's request over and done with. She would never be able to enjoy her time with her nephews if she had this future meeting with Tommy hanging over her head. There was a time when she wouldn't even think twice about asking him for help but that was almost two decades ago. Now it was just a great big awkward mess, if only she hadn't sent that dumb letter and messed it all up. But there was no use crying about it now. At this moment she still has a job to do and she's a professional. Kimberly walked back into the control room to ask Adam and Trini where she could find Tommy.

"Hey boss, did you seal the deal?" Trini asked her.

"Looks like it," she sighed, "Verizon Wireless presents the Indominus Rex."

Adam dropped his head in disbelief, "that just sounds so terrible. Why don't we just go the distance, Kim? Why not let them name the dinosaurs too, you know like, Pepsisaurus or the Tostitodon?"

Kimberly laughed despite herself, poor Adam she thought. Before she made her request she hesitated and rubbed her temples.

"You okay boss?" Adam asked. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's not you Adam, I'm actually here because I need a favor," She said hesitating again. Why was this so hard?

"What's up, Kim? Is everything okay? We've got this under control if you want to go meet your nephews early." Trini said concerned for her friend.

"Believe me I wish I could." Okay Kim, enough stalling, "Trini I need to know where Tommy is. Mr. Masrani wants him to inspect Paddock 13 for weaknesses."

Trini and Adam quickly exchanged glances before looking down at their computer screens and typing in commands. "It looks like he's doing a demonstration with Velociraptors that should be wrapping up...now," Adam said looking at the park's itinerary and then his watch.

"He's staying at Falcon Crest Estates, which is right near paddock 11 where the demonstration is being held" Trini said taking over from Adam.

"Thank you, after I deal with this I'll be off for the rest of the afternoon. I will have my cell if you need me for anything." Kimberly said.

"Okay," Trini said, she paused unsure of whether or not she should continue, but she wanted to reassure her friend. "Kim everything will be all right. I mean he's still just Tommy," she said giving her a small smile for encouragement.

"Kim, you've got to admit, this is long overdue," Adam said. "I don't think it's going to be as bad as you think."

"I know," was all she could say. "I'll see you guys later." With that she turned around and left the control room. Adam and Trini exchanged glances again and once Kimberly was out of sight they gave each other a high-five. Finally!

The jungle that was growing within Paddock 11 was quiet, the breeze was blowing gently through the foliage. A small rustling noise was approaching from the West that grew louder with each passing moment. All of a sudden a small pig appears, it's obviously running for it's life. Four Velociraptors are in hot pursuit of the tiny animal. As the animals run towards open ground there is a platform that sits high above, Tommy Oliver stands there with a clicker held high above his head. "Hold," he yells. As the pig runs through the small door to safety the four raptors come to a halt just below the platform. Tommy click's the training devise and gives commands to the raptors below. "Okay, eyes on me. Blue? Blue," he calls to the Beta of the group, she looks up. "Charlie," the 2nd raptor want's to break formation, Tommy clicks again, "Hey, hey! NO! Lock it up, Good. Delta, and Echo. Good, that's really good guys. Okay and we're moving." The raptors continue to watch Tommy, following him as he moves down the platform. He clicks the button a couple more times and reaches into a pale that is hanging from the railing. Pulling a dead rat from the pale which he uses as positive reinforcement for the raptors' good behavior. Once they've all had their treat he continues, "Hold. Eyes up!" The animals stop and his obey commands once more. Finally he dismisses the animals by lowing his arm, "Go." As he gives the final command the animals run towards their cages. Tommy couldn't believe how well that went; today's going to be a good day after all. Smiling he walked towards Jason who was coming onto the platform to congratulate him on a job well done.

Jason reaches Tommy, they shake hands and pat each other on the back. "Tommy, you did it man." The two were in really good spirits. As they were congratulating each other they failed to notice their direct supervisor making his way towards them.

Ivan Ozien was a short chubby man who walked towards the two men as if they just won him the lottery. "Tommy! Jason! I was starting to think we hired the wrong people but dang son, you've got them eating out of your palm." He said clapping Tommy on the back.

Tommy forced a smile. "Well you saw them on a good day. Sometimes it doesn't turn out so well," he said, turning to walk down towards the parking area. The others followed behind him.

"So is that why those reports you two prepare are so vague?" Ivan asked. Until now he thought the program was going to be an utter disaster.

Before Tommy could respond Jason cut him off by placing the back of his hand on Tommy's chest, "Mr. Ozien, we've just been busy, we included the information you requested."

"You're never too busy to cash those paychecks though," was all he said in response to Jason.

"Is there anything else we can help you with today, Mr. Ozien?" Tommy asked. The guy really got on his nerves.

"We want to see them in action out in the field," Ozien responded.

"These animals are still very wild, I'm not sure they are ready for an actual field test," Tommy said.

"Those animals have a real bond with you, Tommy. Nature gave us one of the most effective killing machines 75 million years ago. Imagine the possibilities! Especially now that we know they can take and follow orders. Now think about what this means on the battlefield?" Ozien was only interested in the end game, he didn't care about the time and hard work that had to go into getting these animals this far. Maybe if he was an active participant in the training, he might be a little less convinced.

Jason tried to remain indifferent to Ozien's lack of understanding for the situation. "So we finally make some progress with this program and the first thing you see is how to weaponize them?" Warning bells were going off in both Jason and Tommy's minds. They didn't even have to look at each other to know they were on the same page. The program was headed down a dangerous path.

"Jesus guys, it's time to face reality. Drones can't search tunnels and caves, not to mention they can also be hacked! Imagine the day a real war breaks out and all that fancy tech goes dark," Ozien said, he was annoyed at his subordinates' obvious lack of vision. He had to remember that he was talking to a Doctor of Paleontology and a man who came to work for InGen straight out of community college; these two wouldn't understand what it means to actually fight for their country.

"Okay, but all that tech isn't going to turn on you and eat you if you forget to feed it," Tommy said.

"Tommy, Jason, just look at these creatures." He points to the raptors, "they have millions of years of instinct in their cells, instinct that can be programmed. That kind of loyalty can't be bought. These guys are going to run straight past enemy lines and take our enemies out. Imagine how many of our own soldiers would be saved."

"And if the animals decide they want to be the ones in control?" Tommy asked raising an eyebrow at his superior.

"We remind them who is, we terminate the rouges, only promote loyal bloodlines," Ozien replied in all seriousness.

Tommy and Jason laughed. Jason had to walk away before he said something stupid. Tommy decided he didn't care, "I don't know Mr. Ozien, you come here but you don't learn anything about these animals. You're hung up on only the things you want to know. You made them and you think you have complete control over them."

"You're the one who has the control, and this is going to happen. With or without the both of you. You think Simon Masrani, the eighth richest man in the wold is only into running family fun parks? You've always known what was going to happen here Oliver, if we don't do this, someone else will. And they won't hesitate." Ozien finished. Tommy had to consider this. It didn't matter if it was an Anton Mercer or a John Hammond or a Simon Masrani, there was always some eccentric billionaire who was willing to throw money around to fund projects without paying attention to whether or not they should or if it puts the safety of others in jeopardy. Money usually always brings on the desire for power. This is what scared Tommy most of all when he made his discovery all those years ago.

Before they could continue their debate a commotion from the upper platform occurred. The pig got loose and was running towards the raptors cage. One of the attendants tried to catch it but fell off balance and fell over the railing and into the cage. Tommy didn't hesitate, he ran up to the gate and opened it. Jason also ran back towards the cage. Park rangers ran onto the platforms with guns raised as the raptors took formation to attack the fallen attendant. "No, no, no, hold your fire!" Tommy ran into the paddock and got between the attendant and the raptors. The animals stopped their approach when Tommy gave the command. "If you fire on them they will never trust me again," Tommy said. As he held the animals off he motioned with one of his hands for the attendant to get out of the paddock. "Hey, hey, Blue! Back up, you too Charlie! Back up!" He yelled at the raptors who were annoyed that he wouldn't let them feast on the attendant.. The animals continued to hiss and snap at him but remained in their places. Once the attendant was clear he called to Jason, "Close the gate."

"Are you CRAZY!?" Jason yelled at him, "no way, Tommy."

"Jason, I need you to trust me, just close it." Jason did as he was asked. Tommy started counting and before the gate closed down too much he flipped towards the gate and rolled under it before the raptors could get to him. As the gate slammed closed the 4 animals were held back by metal bars. Once Tommy hops back to his feet he sees Ozien watching him with a smirk on his face, like he just won a bet. Ignoring him Tommy turned to the attendant who was now safe outside of the gate. "You're the new guy right?" The attendant shook his head yes, "ever wonder why there was a job opening?" Tommy asked causing the guy's eyes to go wide. "Just don't ever turn your back on the cage." The attendant shook his head yes again and then made the mistake of looking behind him. Charlie was trying to stick her nose through the bars and was snarling at the attendant. Tommy helped the man to his feet and told him to check in with medical to make sure nothing was broken. He said goodbye to Jason and headed towards his rental car, he needed to get away from this paddock for a little while.

"So what did you guys think of Rocky?" Aisha asked the boys as they walked away from paddock 9. She had to admit that these were two of the best behaved kids she's taken around the park in a long time. They actually talked to her and asked her questions about the park.

"He was my favorite!" Justin exclaimed, he couldn't believe that he had pictures of a real life T-Rex on the camera his parents bought him just for this trip.

"You said that about the Mosasaurus," Fred said laughing at his brother. His phone started going off. He took it out of his pocket to check the message. The three were walking towards the monorail that would take them to the Gyrosphere.

"That was before we saw the Tyrannosaurus Rex! And Fred, how can you be on your phone at a time like this!?" Justin was flabbergasted that his brother would want to be on his phone when there was so much to see in the park. Aisha was enjoying watching the exchange between the two brothers.

"Relax man, it's both mom and dad checking in to see how it's going," Fred said remembering what his mom said about responding to their calls or in this case texts. They must both be at work, he thought.

"Oh, I thought it was Heather, again," Justin said while rolling his eyes at the mention of Fred's girlfriend. "But since it's mom and dad can you tell them that I said hi?"

"Sure thing," Fred said. He didn't want to tell his bother that Heather had also been texting him. Fred told his parents about their morning, having Aisha as a tour guide, and that Justin was having the time of his life. "They said hi back and this is weird, dad told me to say hi to you too Aisha." He was confused as to why his father would say hi to their tour guide.

"Wow, I haven't talked to Kevin in a long time." Aisha said smiling, "tell your dad I said hi back."

"How would you know my dad?" Justin asked clearly confused.

"Oh, well you guys wouldn't know this but I lived in Angel Grove back when your Aunt and I were in high school. She even lived with me for a while when we were in high school and again in college. I met your father shortly after that." Aisha said reflecting back on those days.

"Oh really, so you and my Aunt have known each other a long time. What's it like working for her? Fred asked.

"It's actually pretty cool having your aunt as a boss, I love coming to work everyday." Aisha said smiling at Fred and Justin. They were both listening intently.

"I hope that I can work here someday," Justin said looking around the park.

"I'm sure your aunt would love it if you came to work here when you are older," Aisha said placing her hand on his shoulder. "What about you Fred? You want to come work here one day?"

"Maybe. I've always thought that I'd follow in my dad's footsteps and become a police officer," Fred said. This was the first time he ever said it out loud, his parents didn't know that he had the application for the junior police academy in his backpack that was still at home.

"Oh really Fred, that's pretty cool actually. I, oh, hold on a second." Aisha was about to say more until her phone started ringing. It was Kimberly, "It's your aunt." She picked up the phone, "hey Kim," she said in greeting.

"Hey," was all that Kim could say. She had changed out of her business suit and into a pink tank top, a khaki skort, long socks and brown boots. She wanted to be ready to meet up with her nephews as soon as she was finished with this impromptu meeting. As she steered towards Falcon Crest Estates she took a deep breath which Aisha heard loud and clear.

"Girl, what's wrong? Do you have to work past lunch?" Aisha asked into her phone.

"No, yes, not really," Kim said gripping her steering wheel tighter. Luckily her car had hands free calling.

"Okay I'm lost, what's going on with you?" Aisha said, she wasn't sure if she should be concerned or if it was just that her friend was running late.

"Well our boss in all his wisdom wants me to go to Falcon Crest to ask _Dr. Oliver_ for his assistance, he wants him to inspect paddock 13 for weaknesses." Kimberly said sarcastically emphasizing his name, she was clearly annoyed.

"Dr. Oli-ohhhhh! You have to go see Tommy!" Aisha laughed while bouncing up and down. The boys looked at her in amusement, they had no idea what was funny but were enjoying themselves just the same.

"I'm glad you're as chocked up about this as I am," Kimberly said sarcastically.

"Oh Kimberly. You've always known that this was going to happen, the boy's been working for Mr. Masrani for a year already. Goodness girl, you're acting like he's the devil reincarnated. It's just Tommy for gods sake. Aren't you always saying that you kind of miss him?" Aisha asked, reminding her of the countless hours they spent talking about this particular subject.

"Yes, it's just...what the heck do I say? I hate that I have to ask him for something for the park first." Kimberly said to Aisha, she was starting to annoy herself now.

"Girl, take this as a good thing, it gets the ball rolling on a conversation. Don't worry about all the stuff from the past. Deal with that later, right now just focus on reestablishing contact." Aisha said trying to ease her friend's mind. She knew that Kim was overthinking this whole situation.

"Urgh, I know you're right. I guess I just wanted to have a pity party," Kim said feeling defeated.

"Yep, well pity party time is over. Now it's time to put on some big girl britches and finally face this," Aisha said giving her friend no sympathy.

"Thanks for the tough love, Aisha. Hopefully this doesn't take me too long. How are the boys doing? Tell them I'm sorry about this." Kimberly said, she felt especially guilty that she had to take more time away from them.

"They are doing fine, say hi boys" Aisha said holding her phone away from her ear so they could tell Kim hi and that they wished she was there with them. "See, now go get your meeting over with. It's only 11:30 so want to meet at 1:00 back at the visitor's center for lunch?"

"Yeah that should give me plenty of time to do what I need to do. Have fun," Kimberly said sadly.

"It'll be fine Kimberly, I promise," Aisha said giving her a little bit of encouragement. "Love you!" She added with a little sarcasm.

"Love you too," Kim said back to her also sarcastically.

Aisha hung up her phone and told the boys the revised plan. This would give them plenty of time to ride on the Gyrosphere and to get a good look at the plains where the herbivores roam.

Kimberly found Tommy's bungalow easily and brought her Land Rover to a stop next to the car that was parked there. She got out of her car and was about to walk up the stairs to the front door when she saw a man standing with his back to her across the lawn. He was looking down the embankment towards the shoreline of the island. She wasn't sure who he was at first but as she walked closer she realized it was the person she was there to see. His hair was short and spiked, his clothes were neat, gone was the teenager she used to know. Before her now was a grown man who had seen more than his fair share of tough times. She lingered back a moment so she could take in his appearance from behind. A lump began to form in her throat when she thought about how she barley knew him anymore. Sure Grace kept her up-to-date on what was happening in his life and sure they shared a laugh or two when Grace finally admitted to knowing about their stint as Power Rangers. Imagine their surprise when they saw power rangers had appeared in Reefside, particularly the black ranger. Even though she would know it was him no matter what color ranger he was, she had no idea who he was as a person anymore, she lost that right when she broke off their relationship. Kimberly shook her head to focus, not the time or the place for this, she thought annoyed with herself again. Though she couldn't really tell, she could swear he was upset about something. Oh well, she thought, I have a job to do, she cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Dr. Oliver." The person before her stiffened in response.

 _ **Author's notes - Dun, Dun, Dun! They finally meet...in the next chapter. So I have to admit that I am having a blast with this fanfiction thing! I hope you are all enjoying this story, let me know what you think. Happy reading! ~ SJStarke.**_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _Hold On To Your Butts!_

Tommy was hardly surprised by the information he gleaned from today's demonstration, it still frustrated him nonetheless. It was the reason he tried to destroy his research in the first place. He knew that the ability to replicate and genetically modify dinosaurs was dangerous. Now Ozien wants to test and eventually use these animals in a military setting. He parked his rental car in front of the bungalow he stayed in while he was on the island and got out of the car. He was going to go inside but decided he would rather stew while looking at the surf coming in against the shoreline. Walking up to the edge of his rental property he took a deep steadying breath. He contemplated doing some katas to help him relax but decided against it. He settled for watching the waves down below him, the last time he did this it was on another planet. Back then he'd had someone he could vent his frustrations to, someone who would just listen, what he wouldn't give to have that back. Tommy was so focused on his thoughts that he barely registered the car that was pulling up behind him. He figured it was just Jason coming over to talk to him about the same thing that was currently bothering him. Rather than turn to greet Jason he just waited for his friend to come stand beside him. After a few moments; however, no one came. He was about to turn around when he heard a woman clear her throat and then say, "Excuse me, Dr. Oliver." His whole body went stiff, now this he was not prepared for. Will wonders never cease he thought.

"Well, well, well," he said as he turned around to face his visitor. "Kimberly Ann Hart, this is a surprise. I mean it's not every day the Park Operations Manager comes by for a visit," he said sizing her up, this caused her to shift uncomfortably. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, sarcasm lining his voice.

"Well, _Doctor_ ," she said emphasizing his title. "Our boss was wondering if you would be willing to offer up your expertise on something." Kimberly said finding her backbone and mocking him by sizing him up too. She still liked what she saw but was able to remain indifferent.

"Oh really, and what pray tell would he require my _expertise_ for?" He asked matching her condescending tone.

"We have an attraction -" she began but was cut short.

"I used to think so," he replied trying and succeeding in throwing her off guard.

"Excuse me?" She asked and regretted it instantly when he gave her a playful smile. That smile was always her undoing.

"Well I was definitely attracted," Tommy said his smile wider.

"Urgh, Dr. Oliver not now," Kimberly said rolling her eyes, he was really going to put her through this she thought.

"Tommy," he stated. Don't roll your eyes at me Pinky, he thought.

"Huh?" She asked her mind racing with thoughts of their past.

"You can drop the Dr. Oliver stuff, it's just Tommy. We used to be friends...well more than that once upon a time." Tommy said to her, he was enjoying the fact that he could take out his bad mood on someone. Besides it had been 17 years since he was able to get under her skin, he admitted to himself that it was quite fun. She couldn't hide the rosy color that started to appear in her cheeks and nose.

I'm blushing, Damn it! She thought as she felt her cheeks start to get hot. She took a deep breath and asked a one word question, "finished?"

"Not even close," he answered truthfully.

Looking up at the sky, "I tried to tell him this was a mistake," she said more to herself than aloud.

Tommy heard her and responded as if she meant for him to hear it, "what Kim? To bring me on or making YOU come out here to ask me?" Kimberly was getting fed up with his behavior, she crossed her arms and jutted out her right foot, the way she always did before an argument. Oh boy, Tommy thought sarcastically, I'm in trouble now. He had to bring his right hand up to his mouth to hide the smirk that formed.

"You know what Tommy? It's BOTH actually. You see I'm supposed to be showing my nephews around the park while they are here on vacation. I haven't seen them in over a year, not that you care. But I can't spend time with them until I get this over with. So can you help or should I tell the man that funds your other project that you're not interested?" This caused the smirk to disappear, he couldn't argue with that declaration. Although maybe losing funding would help him shut the project down completely. Nah, he thought, they would just find someone else who was willing to play their game.

"And what does this request have to do with my area of expertise?" Tommy asked.

"Well, he seems to think that since you can control the raptors that you'll be able to determine if there are any vulnerabilities in the paddock of his newest dinosaur," Kimberly answered.

"Control the raptors?" He asked incredulously, "I don't control the raptors, Kimberly. It's a relationship, built on mutual understanding and respect. Something that you know nothing about." He said baiting her again.

Kimberly's mouth dropped open and she was about to filet him alive but caught on before she responded. Breathing loudly out of her nose she finally said through gritted teeth, "can we just worry about the asset please." She took a step back towards her car, seeing whether or not he would follow, which he did.

"Fine, what do I get out of this deal?" Tommy asked taking two steps closer to Kimberly.

Surprising him Kimberly stood her ground. Gazing at him from under her lashes she said in her most innocent sounding voice, "I don't know Tommy, warm fuzzies for helping to protect everyone on the island. We all know how you love to play the hero, mister, oops, I mean Doctor Ranger boy. So what are you up to now...3, 4, 5 different teams?" She really knew the answer but didn't want to give herself away completely. She would never forget seeing the news about the Reefside Rangers, she had laughed out loud when she saw the one in black, 34 years old then and he could still pull off a spandex onesie.

"Touche Pinky..." he replied. Crap, Tommy thought as he gazed down into her big brown eyes, I need to up the ante. He continued, "Yeah," he paused for a moment longer, "the superhero thing is getting a little tired though. That's not quite enough for me anymore," he said rubbing his chin pretending to be deep in thought.

Kimberly looked at her watch, they had to get a move on, "well than what pray tell would you like Tommy, another consulting fee?" She would worry about whether or not her boss would approve that later. Actually she'd pay him out of her own pocket if she had to at this point.

"Dinner," was all he said, taking another step closer.

"I beg your pardon," he caught her off guard again and she instinctively took a step back.

"You heard me," Tommy said smiling darkly at her.

If this was another time that smile would have melted her insides, but she was in a hurry. Fine, she thought, if it would get him in the car then she would worry about it when the time came. "Alright," she said. Tommy couldn't hide the surprise that crossed his face. Ha! She thought, didn't expect that did you Oliver?

"Really?" He asked clearly dumbfounded.

"Yes, really, but not tonight. Or this week for that matter. My nephews. Now can you please get in the car so we can get this over with and I can get on with my day off?" She said walking backwards towards her Land Rover. He said no more and followed her obediently, he was trying to work out why she agreed to having dinner so quickly. She had to refrain from picking on him and calling him a 'good boy' as if he was a newly trained puppy. Besides if she had said no to a simple dinner her boss would have her hide on a platter. The two got into Kimberly's vehicle and set off for paddock 13 in silence. A few miles down the road Kimberly began to retreat into her own mind and soon forgot all about the person sitting to her right in the passenger seat.

Tommy was finally able to find his voice again when he noticed the speed of Kimberly's SUV steadily increasing and that she was gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles where white. "Jesus speed racer slowdown, we're not on a race track."

"Oh crap," Kimberly said shaking her head. "Sorry." She gradually slowed the Land Rover down to the speed limit and shook out her hands one at a time.

"So," was all Tommy could think to say. What does one talk about with their ex-girlfriend besides the obvious stuff? He figured that should probably wait until after they were out of her car. So he tried to think of topics that were on neutral ground, "um, how's your mom?"

Kim knew he was just trying to make conversation and that he had no idea about their falling out. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but she wasn't able to mask the disappointment that lined her voice. "She's good I guess, I mean she's still in France."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Tommy asked, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a parent so far away.

"1999," she said coldly, Tommy's shock was apparent as he turned his whole body towards her. "And yes, before you say anything it's been that long." She took a deep breath, here goes, "after I left for Florida I sort of had a falling out with both of my parents because of what they did to Kevin. Maybe you remember this, we would hang out with Kevin all the time, then he disappeared for a while and I thought it was because he blamed me for everything including the divorce. My parents both led me to believe that anyways. Well it turns out Kevin wasn't allowed to see me because he thought my parents were putting me in the middle of their mess and he told them so. That's when my mom banned him from our house and he stopped coming around. So I asked both of my parents about it and it blew up into an even bigger fight where they both told me they didn't care if they ever saw or spoke to me again. So there you have it," Kimberly said gripping the steering wheel tightly again.

Okay great job Tommy, he thought. "Wow," was all he could manage to say. Now he knew why his mom cringed whenever Caroline or Kevin Sr. were mentioned in her house. He started to feel guilty that he didn't know about any of this.

"Yeah," not wanting to delve any further into it Kimberly changed the subject. "So why Paleontology?"

Thankful at the subject change he replied, "well I kind of fell into it back in the 90s and never looked back. Why Jurassic World?" He asked her.

"Same reasons I guess, I just can't seem to escape the past...no matter how hard I try," she didn't mean to vocalize the last part but couldn't prevent it once she started saying it aloud. She was referring to the decisions she made, starting with leaving the power rangers, what happened while she was in Florida, and of course the letter.

"Was it really all that bad?" He asked, he thought she was referring to him more than anything.

"Oh god, Tommy no," she sighed. "I'm referring to everything that happened after I decided to leave the power rangers and move to Florida, that's when everything turned to crap. I made some really poor choices that snowballed into even worse ones," she couldn't bring herself to admit breaking it off with him being the worst of all. "I learned a lot of lessons the hard way and had to find a way to take care of myself because I was all alone."

Well I guess this conversation was inevitable, he thought. "Whatever happened to your _soulmate_?" He asked rolling his eyes.

Kimberly couldn't help the smirk that formed on her face and knowing he probably wouldn't catch on she replied, "he ran off with some blonde bimbo and forgot all about me."

"Idiot," he said shaking his head, this caused Kim to shake her head in disbelief. He continued, "then, why didn't you call me?" He couldn't hide the emotion that crept into his voice. "I still care..ed about you," his ears turning red because he almost made an admission he wasn't ready to vocalize yet. One thing at a time Oliver, he thought trying to keep his cool. Kimberly missed his near mistake because she was too focused on knowing that he wouldn't catch on to what she said.

"Oh Tommy," she said, he really was thick headed sometimes. "Don't ask me about things you don't want to hear the truth to," she said to him sparing him a sideways glance, "you're not going to like what you hear."

"Humor me," he said irritation creeping into his voice.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." She took a deep breath, "so I DID call you, more than once as a matter-of-fact. But you were always too busy to talk. I understand that you were still a ranger but it was more than that, you were always with Katherine, and never with the others, just Katherine. She was supposed to replace me as a ranger and only a ranger, not in your life too." This caused Tommy to scoff but Kimberly continued, not giving him a chance to speak. "This went on for a month, so in a desperate attempt to talk to you I decided to write instead. I thought maybe if I broke up with you and said there was someone else that it would finally provoke you to contact me. And just so you know, there never was anyone else, I made him up. I was just trying to spark some fight out of you...for me. But you know what I got instead? Nothing, no call, just nothing!" Emotion lined Kimberly's voice as she continued, "I would have thought you'd have seen how out of character that was coming from me and come running. But nope, not a word." She took a steadying breath and continued, "oh, and for the record Tommy, Katherine was the blonde bimbo I was referring too," once she had started she couldn't stop until it was all out. She had to admit that she felt a little relieved that she was finally getting this off her chest. Kimberly waited for him to say something but he just stared at her angrily. Sighing she spared him a brief glance. Shit, she thought, I broke him for good this time as he looked ready to snap. After another minute she sighed again and said, "look you can eyeball me and continue to brood all you want but there it is. All my cards are on the table now. What do you want, an apology, you want me to admit I was wrong? Of course I was wrong, I was a stupid teenager who expected another teenager to drop his entire life and to come to my rescue. I see now just how evil it really was and yes I will always regret it and be sorry for it." She was thankful that they were almost to paddock 13 because she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Kimberly glanced in Tommy's direction, he was still staring at her, "please, just say something!" It would be another minute before Tommy would speak.

Tommy had to turn back to face forward in his seat as he needed to process this for a moment. He wasn't sure who he was more upset with, her for telling him the truth or himself for dropping the ball on their relationship. Why didn't he question it all those years ago? As his thoughts continued to flow he knew he had to find his voice or risk losing the opportunity to discuss this further. He wasn't quite ready to really get into this as he knew they must be getting close to their destination. His mind did settle on one point in particular that had always bothered him, finally he said, "you said I was like your brother! I don't know what your relationship is like with Kevin but if it's anything like what ours was like then we need to be having a totally different conversation." While he knew a little more about why she sent the letter, he wanted her to be aware how much that line had upset him.

Wow, Kimberly thought, she tried hard not to start laughing but couldn't help it. Of course he'd focus on that line, oh sweet and innocent Tommy, she thought. She also felt guilty but wouldn't allow it to show right now.

"What's so funny," Tommy asked only angrier. This made Kim laugh even more.

"Oh Tommy," was all she could say as she shook her head at him. Her anxiety and exhaustion was taking over, it had been a really long day and it wasn't even 12:05 yet. Luckily for the both of them Kimberly was pulling the Land Rover into the parking area next to paddock 13.

Tommy knew he wouldn't get anymore answers now and before he got out of the car he grabbed Kimberly's arm, "this discussion is far from over," he said pointing a finger in her face. She thought about biting at his finger but decided against it. She had to admit to herself though, angry Tommy was kind of hot. Tommy saw the playfulness behind her eyes and couldn't help the indecent thought that entered his mind, those brown eyes had always been his undoing. He had to exit her car or he was going to end up making an ass out of himself. Both of them regained their composure, got out of Kimberly's SUV, and walked towards the entrance to paddock 13. Their tryst was to be continued. Tommy took in the scene before him which was a massive concrete wall that overshadowed everything that stood next to it. The construction crew was on their lunch break but remained near the job site. He noticed that many of the workers stood up a little taller as Kimberly approached and most of them checked her out as she walked by. All Tommy had to do was look at them to make them all look in different directions, his protective nature for his former flame taking over. He then shifted his attention back to the paddock before him, uneasiness settling over him.

Kimberly walked up the stairs in front of him so she failed to notice any of this going on behind her. Becoming her professional self again, she spoke as if she was talking to a potential sponsor, "we've been pre-booking tickets for months. The park needs a new attraction every few years in order to reinvigorate the public's interest. Corporate felt genetic modification would up the _wow_ factor." Kimberly had no idea that the research used to breed this dinosaur was originally discovered by the man following in her wake.

Tommy tried but failed to disguise his lack of interest. "They're dinosaurs, _wow_ enough."

"Well, not according to our focus groups. The Indominus Rex makes us relevant again." Kimberly says opening the door with her key card.

Tommy can't help the laugh that escapes his lips, "The _Indominus Rex!_?!"

Kimberly looked at him, she fails to see what's funny. She explains, "we needed something scary and easy to pronounce. You should hear a four year old try to say _Archeaornithomimus_ ," Kimberly said trying to usher him inside.

All he could think was how cute she sounded when she said that without missing a syllable. Smiling at her he said, "you should hear you try to say it," as he took the door from her. His mama taught him that he always held the door for a lady, even if it was his ex. Kimberly bit back a comment because she knew that Grace would beat him if he let her hold the door for him, so she took a deep breath and walked inside. Man, he thought, professional Kimberly is no fun. He didn't see the smile that lined her face once she walked through the threshold. As soon as they reached the observation platform both of their smiles and good humor faded, it was like the old days when they could sense each others dread. Tommy scrutinized the entire paddock, looking from the broken glass and out through the forest that grew inside. He notices the massive size of the paddock and wonders what kind of an animal lives within it's walls. After a few minutes and no movement from the dinosaur he has to ask, "so what is this thing made of?"

Kimberly is looking all over the paddock and there is no sign of her. The knot that's been in her stomach off and on all day has returned stronger than ever. Masking her unease she says, "the base genome is a T-Rex and the rest is...classified."

"They made a genetically modified dinosaur and wont even tell you what it is? How can our boss possibly think I'd have any idea what to tell you if I don't know what it's even made of?" Tommy asked slightly irritated. His worst fears seemed to be coming true, he knew the reason the information was classified was because they made something especially heinous in that lab.

Kimberly considered what he was saying, she knew that he was right but couldn't vocalize it but shook her head at him in understanding. He definitely needs to lay eyes on her, maybe at least then he can tell for himself. "Hey Nick," she said turning towards the tech who was in charge of the control panel for the entire paddock, "can you drop a steer please, maybe that will bring her out."

Tommy had to move around to curb his anxiety, "How long has she been in here?" He asked while he continued to inspect the paddock.

"All her life," Kimberly said trying to keep an even tone.

"Has she ever seen anything outside these walls?" He asked seeing the crane come from over head with a huge side of beef traveling towards the wooded area to entice the dinosaur. Kimberly shook her head no, she knew he was on the edge. "And that's how she's fed," he said pointing at the crane.

"yeah," she's not exactly sure what to make of this. "What are you thinking?" Genuine concern is etched all over her face.

Seeing her disposition made him relax a little bit, he could tell that she was more concerned for the safety of the park than their boss and his investment. "Animals raised in isolation aren't always the most functional," he said turning towards her now.

Thinking she looked back towards the paddock and back to him, she wasn't sure she understood. "Aren't your raptors born in captivity?"

Her question is innocent enough, he knew she was trying to work it out in her mind and not challenging him to a debate. "They are, but they are bread with siblings. They learn social skills and I imprint on them when they're born. There's trust between us. The only positive relationship this animal has is with that crane, at least she knows that means food." He walked the length of the observation deck once more, still there was no dinosaur to be found.

Kimberly watched him closely, these were not good signs for Indominus. But rather than developing stronger feelings of anxiety she began to feel relief, she knew now she could trust her own instincts and wasn't overreacting. Annoyance threatened to take over again when the dinosaur failed to show herself. "What the hell, where is she? We were just here, she was right there," she said walking past Tommy towards one of the control panels. She punched in a few keys on the touchscreen display, panic threatened to take hold when it indicated that there were no thermal signatures detected. The screen was saying that there was no dinosaur in the paddock. Nick was clearly confused and even indicated that this made no sense, turning to his computer he started entering commands to search the paddock for signs of the Indominus Rex.

While she was doing that Tommy walked to the far side of the observation deck, his stomach dropped when he saw claw marks on the top part of the wall. He had to ask pointing up at the marks, "have those always been there?" Kimberly walked fast towards him to see what he was pointing at, her eyes went wide when she looked up towards the top of the wall. Then they turned towards each other, a sense of foreboding building between them.

"Oh. My. GOD." She brought up her watch to call Adam. When it wouldn't call the control room she realized that her phone was still in the Land Rover. "She has a tracking implant in her back, they can track her from the control room," she ran towards the door leaving Tommy to watch her retreat.

He turned towards the technician and said, "I need to get in there to get a closer look." Nick the technician tried to hide his annoyance but failed. He did comply with Tommy's request and they walked towards the doorway that would lead them down inside the paddock. On their way down Nick calls another technician to have him meet them inside the paddock to help with the inspection.

Kimberly ran outside to her car and found her phone, as soon as she retrieved it she was instructing Siri to contact the control room. Once it's ringing she runs towards the stairs that will take her back inside to the observation deck. After a few rings Adam picks up. Kimberly says, "Adam, I need you to do a coordinates scan for the Indominus," fear evident in her voice.

Tommy and the two technicians walked towards the wall where the claw marks were dug into the upper half. The sheer size of the wall made him feel especially small at this moment. He looked behind him towards the woods, something felt very wrong to him.

"That wall is over forty feet high, do you really think it could have just climbed out?" Nick the technician asked.

"Depends," Tommy said still looking behind him. He looked down at the dirt to see if there were any obvious signs of animal tracks that lead to the wall.

"Depends on what exactly?" The technician asked again though he really wasn't interested, he was more worried about returning to his seat in the air conditioned observation room.

"On what kind of dinosaur they cooked up in that lab," Tommy answered. He didn't like it, not one bit. A chill ran down his spine causing the hairs to stick up on his arms and the back of his neck.

Kimberly ran back into the observation room and couldn't see Tommy or Nick anywhere. Before she could call to them Adam responded, "The tracking device indicates that Indominus is inside paddock 13...wait there are people in there," panic evident in his voice. Kimberly could hear Trini in the background trying to contact Nick.

"Wait, what? Where is she?" Kimberly asked as a chill spread across her body.

"It's in the cage Kimberly, and so is Tommy!" Adam yelled on the other line. Though it was too late, the trees began to move inside the paddock. Kimberly froze and dropped her phone, all the color drained from her face.

A garbled announcement came through the shoulder walkie-talkie strapped next to Nick's left ear. Before Nick could respond Tommy was able sense it before the trees started to move. He inhaled deeply, looked up at the sky and thought, Mother-, "RUN!" He screamed. The other technician and Tommy bolted for the side door while Nick stayed behind and started punching keys in the emergency gate, he was slightly overweight and knew this was his best chance for survival. Tommy and the other technician would have their escape route cut off by the towering form of the Indominus Rex. As she came in front of them the two skidded to a stop and retreated in the opposite direction. Nick was already outside and Tommy wasn't far behind. Indominus caught up to them in two giant steps, bending down she grabbed a hold of the technician running next to Tommy. This slowed her for a few seconds allowing Tommy the time he needed to get out through the emergency gate. He was a few steps away when the gate began to close, he launched himself through the door and landed hard on the ground. Standing up he took a second to try catching his breath but realized his mistake when he saw that the dinosaur caught the gate before it closed and was fighting her way through. He ran forward and searched for anything that would provide him with shelter. He saw a large construction vehicle and slid underneath it, it was his only option. Once he was on his stomach he was finally able to get a good look at this hybrid version of a dinosaur. Tommy felt his stomach bunch up in knots as he looked at her large white frame, she was lean, had a long snout, long arms, and even longer claws. He knew for sure that this was a combination of some of the most lethal dinosaurs in existence and it was all his fault. This animal put many of the monster's he'd faced during his tenured career as a power ranger to shame, what he wouldn't give for one of those right about now. As Indominus loomed over the staging area for the construction vehicles and let out a deafening roar before she marched forward.

Looking around Tommy locked eyes with Nick who was trying to hide in front of a pickup truck. Tommy's stomach clenched because he knew the man was a goner and there was nothing he could do for him. Shortly after that thought the truck Nick was hiding in front of left the ground and crashed a short distance away. Nick was exposed by Indominus who wasted no time in finishing him off in one bite. Tommy knew if he didn't do something he'd be next, turning onto his back he willed a simple solution to present itself, quickly. Eyeing the fuel line, he didn't hesitate in cutting it in half with the Leatherman he always carried with him. The stench of the fuel was intense but better than getting eaten alive, Tommy turned back on his stomach to coat his back with the fuel. Indominus continued to search the ground for more food, Tommy lay perfectly still as the dinosaurs face came down next to where he was hiding.

Tommy looked ahead and stopped breathing when he saw Kimberly watching from the opening in the paddock. The dinosaur's back was to the paddock, Kimberly was not seen by Indominus. She chose to tuck herself in close to the wall and continued to peer through the opening. As he and Kimberly locked eyes, Tommy promised himself that once he finished yelling at her for putting herself in danger, he'd move heaven and earth to fix what was broken between them. Indominus lingered for a few moments longer, making sure there wasn't anything she could eat and began to walk away from him and off towards the woods. Once she was out of sight, Tommy dropped his head into his hands and inhaled deeply, coughing slightly due to the fumes from the fuel. Looking around to make sure the dinosaur was no where around he slowly crawled out from under the construction rig. He removed his button up shirt as it was ruined by the fuel but decided to keep the tank top he wore underneath it.

Once Indominus had moved into the woods Kimberly exhaled loudly, she hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath. She felt light headed and needed to lean against the wall to steady herself for a moment. Once she felt well enough to walk she turned to walk out the opening of the paddock only to be startled because she wasn't expecting Tommy to be walking through it at that moment. "Thomas Oliver!" She screamed at him and started slapping him. "What. Were. YOU. THINKING!?" She continued to yell and slap him. "Why would you just walk into the paddock like that?!"

Tommy had been caught off guard when he almost ran over Kimberly, so he definitely wasn't prepared for the onslaught that followed. "Ow, Kimberly, hold on. Ow!" He proclaimed trying to dodge the former pink rangers slaps. Tommy worked to time her swings and was finally able to catch both of her hands. He managed to spin her around so that her back was to him and her arms were crossed in front of her midsection. She protested for only a moment before sighing in defeat and becoming still. Tommy held onto Kimberly for a minute making sure she wouldn't turn on him again if he loosened his grip. He had needed to process what just happened. Taking a deep breath Tommy loosened his hold on Kimberly's wrists and asked, "if I let you go do you promise not to attack me?"

She half thought about lying to him so she could pummel him some more but she needed to get in touch with Adam in the control room to activate the Asset Containment Unit. Sighing again, "yes, now please let me go," she said. Surprisingly Tommy let go of her wrists and backed away from her. She rubbed both of her wrists to massage the tingling feeling away. "Okay come on, we've got to get to the control room," she said looking over at Tommy but avoiding to make eye contact. They both ran to Kimberly's SUV, she had forgotten all about her nephews.

The Gyrosphere was a large clear spherical vehicle that allows guests a unique opportunity to view the animals of the park in a whole new way. Since the sphere's only allow for two guests to ride at a time, Aisha offered to follow them in a Gyrosphere of her own so that they could enjoy it together. Justin was surprised when Fred agreed to the arrangement, he thought for sure that his older brother would want to go in a sphere by himself. Grabbing a couple of Walkie-Talkies from the attendant's desk she gave the boys one so that they were able to keep constant contact between them. As the two Gyrospheres traveled towards the wide open plains of the park Fred looked over at his little brother and frowned. Justin looked on the verge of tears...surely he wasn't disappointed with this place already? Fred had to ask, "what's wrong with you? I thought you'd be beyond excited riding around in this thing?"

"Yeah, I am...it's just," he trailed off. He had found out a few weeks ago that his parents were in the process of getting a divorce. Justin was sure that his brother had no idea. Thinking about living in separate homes was really starting to weigh him down.

"Justin, what happened between the T-Rex and here?" Fred asked, he had no idea why his brother was so sad all of a sudden.

"Fred..." he paused taking a deep breath, "do you think if mom and dad get divorced that we'll have to live in separate houses?" Justin was now looking at his older brother, his eyes wide.

This was not at all what Fred was expecting, he'd never seen his brother look so scared before. "Dude, where did that come from? Why would you think mom and dad are getting a divorce?"

"Well, they've been acting weird lately and are also getting letters frequently from two different lawyers," Justin replied.

"Justin, they've always been weird, you just haven't been around as long as I have. They go through phases, it'll all work out. It always does." Fred said trying to reassure his little brother.

"No, I Googled them, they are both divorce lawyers," a tear fell down his cheek.

"Dude, you're 11, you shouldn't be worrying about stuff like this," Fred said placing his hand on Justin's shoulder. "No matter what happens I'll be here to help you through it," he said smiling at him.

"Really? I thought you didn't like me," Justin said looking at his brother.

Fred laughed at this, "Dude, you're my little brother. Of course I don't like you," he said nudging Justin's shoulder. This caused Justin's mouth to drop open in disbelief. Fred chuckled and continued, "I love you, there's a difference. I'm mean to you and pick on you because I love you and that's my right as your older brother. I'm also helping you to build character and make you tough. But I'd also never let anyone else do those things to you," he said smiling.

Justin considered this for a moment. "So you wont choose to live in the opposite house once mom and dad move apart?" He asked still sounding worried.

"I promise," he said holding his fist out to his brother, Justin reached up and bumped fists with his brother. When Justin smiled Fred felt better, "good, now stop worrying about this while we're on vacation. Try to focus on having fun."

"Okay, thanks Fred." Justin said looking forward over the plains. "Hey look! Gallimimus!" He said pointing, his excitement returning.

Fred laughed at his brother, that's more like it, he thought. Aisha radioed over to the boy's asking if they could see the Gallimimus, "Yeah, this is pretty cool!" Fred radioed back. The two Gyrospheres traveled at a safe distance from the dinosaurs and continued heading West to the open valley to find different species of dinosaurs.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Chaos is the Law of Nature, Order is the Dream of Man_

Kimberly walked into the control room with Tommy close behind her, a guard was about to block Tommy from entering but Kimberly waved him off. Everything fell silent as everyone stopped what they were doing to look their way. "Everyone remain calm," Kimberly said looking from person to person, "Paddock 13 is 5 miles away from the nearest attraction, if Indominus gets too close to any of those perimeter fences her implant will shock her," she said. Then looking over at Trini, "we need to put out an alert."

Trini was already on the line, "This is control we need to put out a park wide aler-" but was cut short by Simon Masrani.

"Hang up the damn phone," he stated angrily and then added, "Please," trying to keep his tone in check.

"Sorry," Trini said into her headset, "I'm getting new information. Everything is fine," she stated and reluctantly hung up the call.

"We need to let Asset Containment try to capture her quietly. The very existence of this park is predicated on our ability to handle situations like these. It was an eventuality, okay?" Masrani said holding his hands out in front of him.

"Wow," Adam said, "that needs to go in our brochure. You know that eventually one day someone is going to get eaten." He couldn't believe that their boss would be so nonchalant about this.

"No, Mr. Masrani is right," Kimberly stated," we have contingencies in place and conduct drills for this very reason. ACU can handle this, no one else wil-" she was cut off by a flabbergasted Adam.

"Be eaten? Really Ki- Ms. Hart?" He corrected himself when he noticed the look he was receiving from Masrani. Kimberly knew that Adam was just as nervous as the rest of them and that this was his way of handling it, so she didn't comment. Members of the ACU started to activate their body cameras which could be seen on the large screens on the wall in the control room.

As Tommy hung back to watch what was happening his attention was drawn to the weapons that the ACU officers were carrying. Tommy felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach, "they're going after her with non-lethals?"

"We have $26 million invested in this asset, they're not just going to kill her!" Masrani said annoyance evident in his tone.

"Did you not see what happened in Paddock 13?" Tommy asked, he knew he was losing his temper but didn't care, "that dinosaur was able to mask herself from thermal technology! She marked up that wall as a distraction! She wanted us to think she escaped," Tommy stated angrily.

"This is an animal we're talking about Dr. Oliver, it had to have been a technical malfunction," Masrani stated as a matter-of-fact. He refused to believe that any animal would be that intelligent.

Tommy knew he was fighting a losing battle, no one in this room would believe the level of sophistication that went into the genetic modification of this dinosaur. He only knew because he was the one who discovered how to do it at this level. As he watched the ACU close in on the dinosaur's location his anxiety grew, "those men are going to die. You have to call off this mission right now."

"Dr. Oliver you are not in control here, let us handle this," Masrani said to him in a stern voice.

Kimberly was trying hard to remain calm and level headed. With any luck the ACU would have this situation under control in a few moments and everything would work out. As the members drew closer she chanced a look at Tommy, his shoulders were tense and his jaw was set. She wanted to reassure him that it would be fine but the tension in the air prevented her from doing so. Plus she wasn't exactly sure that she believed it would be resolved herself. This just has to work out, she thought. Not knowing what to do Kimberly placed her hands on the chair in front of her and gripped it tightly. As the team followed the signal from the dinosaur's tracking implant the room fell eerily silent, everyone collectively held their breath. The ACU came to the signal's location and came to a halt, the leader bent down to pick something up off the ground. Tommy knew right away what it was, he hoped to god he was wrong but knew he wasn't. The team leader could be heard saying that the animal had to be close by.

"What is that?" Kimberly asked noticing Tommy's reaction, she wasn't sure she really wanted to know.

"It's her tracking implant. She clawed it out," Tommy said looking into Kimberly's eyes, pleading with her to see reason and to call this mission off. Kimberly looked back at him sympathetically, it wasn't her call.

"How would it know how to do that?" Masrani asked not believing what he was seeing.

"By remembering where they put it in," Tommy said looking at their boss angrily. Masrani ignored Tommy's anger and kept his attention on the screens. Movement started in trees directly ahead of the ACU officers and then all hell broke loose when those same trees started to change color. _It can Camouflage!_ Echoed through the control room as the ACU raised their stunning rods towards the Indominus Rex. She had changed from the color of the jungle back to white in a matter of seconds and began her attack on the tiny beings down below her. It wasn't long before the entire ACU was gone and fear descended upon those watching the carnage from the control room. All the color in Tommy's face drained, "you have to evacuate the island," he turned towards their boss, it was a desperate plea.

"We'll never reopen," was all Simon Masrani could say as he was in complete denial.

"You made a genetic hybrid and raised her in captivity. She's seeing all of this for the first time," Tommy said pointing at the screens on the wall across the room. "She doesn't even know what she is and she will kill everything that moves." He said trying to drive the point home with their boss, he couldn't believe Masrani was more concerned with the bottom line than with human lives.

"So what, you think she's contemplating her own existence?" Masrani didn't want to believe any of it, Tommy was surely being over dramatic.

"She's learning where she fits in the food chain and I'm not sure you want her to figure that out. Now Asset Containment can use live ammunition in an emergency situation. You have an M134 in your armory, get it on a chopper and smoke this thing!" Tommy couldn't believe that he even had to say any of this at this point.

"There are families here, I'm not going to let this become a war zone!" Simon Masrani yelled back to Tommy.

"You already have," Tommy said staring down his boss.

"Dr. Oliver, we no longer have any use for your services in this matter," Masrani said staring back at him, "you're free to go." The tension in the room had reached it's fever pitch. A few hours ago Kimberly would have given anything to avoid bringing Tommy into this situation. But now she found herself silently begging him not to go.

"Fine," he said turning to leave. He stopped next to Kimberly and said, "I'd have a discussion with the people in the lab, they're the only one's who can help you stop her," and with that he entered the elevator and was gone. He had to find Jason before too many more people lost their lives.

Kimberly watched Tommy's exit, her eyes burned and she had to close them for a moment. Anxiety threatened to overwhelm her but she had to remain calm. Turning to her boss she started to say, "Mr. Mas-"

"It is imperative to your future with this company that you do not finish what you are about to say," he looked at her angrily. "Now, Ms. Hart, do your job." He turned on his heal and stormed out of the control room.

Biting her tongue at his retreating body, she turned to Trini somehow regaining her composure and said, "I want to close everything North of the resort. This is a Phase One Real World, bring everyone in."

Trini spoke into her headset once more, "This is a Phase One Real World, I repeat this is a Phase One Real World, bring everyone back in." As the announcement went out to all areas of the park Kimberly looked up at the monitors and her heart sank at the sight of two children that reminded her that her nephews were currently riding the Gyrosphere which was located in the Northern Plains. Trini noticed Kim's expression and realized her dilemma. She said, "Kimberly, you have to go, we've got this."

"Keep me updated," was all she could say. Looking at the monitors she saw Tommy had just exited the elevator and was walking towards the lobby. She turned and ran towards the stairs, her phone was already up to her ear.

"Welcome to the Northern Plains guys," Aisha could be heard saying through the walkie-talkie. "See that opening to the left? Let's head that way, it will keep us at a safe distance." She was riding close beside the boys so they could see her.

"Okay Aisha, heading left," Fred radioed back. "What do you think dude? Is this cool or what?" Fred said turning to his little brother who was glowing.

"This is so amazing, Fred do you see all of the dinosaurs? I don't think I can keep them all straight!" Justin was snapping pictures of as many species as he could while they made their way towards the opening that Aisha had indicated. Both spheres came to a stop once they made it to the destination in the field. A small family of Triceratops came to graze a short distance away. Justin raised his camera to take a video of them when he saw something was off on the screen, frowning he tried to adjust the focus.

"What's the matter, is your battery dying?" Fred said looking over at his brother, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to pull up the camera on it.

"No it's just the other dinosaur is messing up my video," Justin said without really comprehending there was a dinosaur standing directly behind them.

"What other dinosaur," Fred said raising his phone to record his own video. Just then it started ringing, it was their Aunt.

"That one," he said pointing at the reflection of the dinosaur standing behind them. He turned around to see a dinosaur was watching the two Gyrospheres intently. His eyes went wide and then he turned back around to face forward, he had no idea what species it was but it looked mean.

"Guys," Aisha said through the walkie-talkie trying to sound calm.

"Hey Aunt Kim," Fred answered the phone. "Wait, what? I can't hear you!" He yelled covering his ear to cancel out the other noise. Justin started pulling at his brother's arm. "Dude, hold on a second, Aunt Kim?" He yelled into his phone, "we're in the hamster ball."

"Guys, get out of here!" Aisha yelled through the walkie-talkie. This caused the two boys to look around at the dinosaur that was still standing behind them. Indominus let out a deafening roar which created chaos among the herbivores. The two Gyrospheres sprang to life and started to move forward and away from the towering hybrid. But it was too late, as the dinosaur took a massive step forward it kicked the boy's sphere causing them to spin out of control. As Indominus gained speed to catch up with the spinning Gyrosphere Aisha propelled her sphere into the dinosaur's leg to slow her down. This caused the dinosaur to fall forward. The boys sphere flew down an embankment and came to an abrupt stop against a tree, causing the whole sphere to turn them upside down. Aisha tried to radio the boys, "Fred? Justin? Do you copy!?" Yet nothing but static came back through the radio. Before she was able to worry about it any longer Indominus had regained her footing and was now eyeing Aisha's sphere as it had lost sight of the other one it had been chasing. Reaching down she went to grab the sphere but Aisha was already in motion. She tried to steer away from the boys location but it was no use, the dinosaur swiped down again and grabbed hold of Aisha's Gyrosphere using her claws. She then threw it in the direction of the boy's. Aisha's sphere flew past the tree the boys were propped up against and crashed into the perimeter wall with a thud. Indominus was advancing on Aisha's sphere when it herd a vibration coming from the sphere that was resting against the tree.

Fred and Justin were upside down in their sphere and trying to come up with a plan to escape when Fred's phone started ringing. A picture of Kimberly with the boys could be seen on the display. Fred tried desperately to reach his phone, talking to his aunt meant there would be help. But he would never reach it, his brother grabbed his arm and when Fred looked up all he could see was a yellow eye looking in on them. The two boys froze in horror as the Indominus Rex raised her claws and brought them down on their Gyrosphere, her middle claw penetrating the glass. As the dinosaur lifted the sphere off the ground and broke it open against the ground, Fred grabbed both his and his brother's seat belts and released them. Indominus raised the sphere up again and the two boys dropped to the ground, she then tried to free her claws from the glass. That was when Fred and Justin seized the opportunity to make a run for it. The boys ran as fast as they could away from the perimeter fence and towards the opening beyond the trees. What they didn't expect was the towering cliff that was high above a pool of water situated far below them. A waterfall was flowing near by making it difficult to hear anything. "We have to jump!" Fred yelled to his brother as he backed them away from the edge.

"No way, I can't!" Justin said on the verge of tears, it was too far down.

"Come on dude you have to!" Fred said equally scared, he knew they were running out of time. Before he could say any more Indominus came crashing through the trees and the boys didn't hesitate. Both of them ran the few feet to the edge and jumped out as far as they could before falling into the pool of water below. The impact of hitting the water caused the boys to loose their grip on one another. Fred searched frantically under the water for Justin. Once he spotted him he grabbed onto his arm to keep him from surfacing for a moment. Both of their eyes were burning being opened under the water but it paled in comparison to the prospect of being eaten alive. They were barely able to hear the deafening roar of the dinosaur over the billowing sound of the waterfall pouring into the lake. A moment later the dinosaur walked away from the cliff's edge. Fred and Justin surfaced and took in huge breaths of air. They helped one another swim to shore where they came to rest on muddy land. After a moment Fred turned to his brother and said, "dude I can't believe you jumped," with that the two of them laughed nervously. Both were glad to have survived the ordeal. Fred put his arms around his brother and gave him a tight hug.

Simon Masrani was on a mission to find out what exactly was going on with the newest asset that was currently terrorizing his park. He needed to find Henry Wu so that he might shed some light on this situation. He found him sitting at his desk drinking a cup of tea. Trying to remain calm he approached the desk and said, "Dr. Wu we need to have a chat about our newest asset which is currently loose inside the park. In particular, what is she made of that would make her behave the way she's behaving?"

Henry Wu swirled his tea around in his cup before placing it down on it's saucer, he was hardly surprised by this news or the question. Calmly Dr. Wu replies, "you know that I'm not a t liberty to reveal the asset's genetic makeup. Modified animals are known to be unpredictable."

Unpredictable? Simon thought to himself. "It's killed people, Henry," he said hoping to influence understanding within the calm and collected doctor sitting before him.

"Well," Henry said taking another sip of his tea, "that's unfortunate."

"Unfortunate? That's all you can say? How is it that she's able to do this? I mean, what purpose could we have for a dinosaur that can camouflage?" Masrani asked his anxiety evident in his tone.

"Cuttlefish genes were added to help Indominus withstand an accelerated growth rate. Cuttlefish have chromatophores that allow the skin to change color," Henry replied folding his hands under his chin.

Simon Masrani pulls over a chair and sits in front of Henry Wu's desk. "It was able to hide from thermal technology."

This information actually surprised Dr. Wu, "really?" He asked feeling impressed.

"How is that possible?" Simon asked he couldn't believe this was even possible.

Henry had to consider this for a moment, "tree frogs can modulate their infrared output. We had to use strands from their DNA to adapt Indominus to a tropical climate. I just never imagined..." he trailed off.

Annoyance was starting to take hold of Simon Masrani again, "who authorized you to do all of this?"

Henry was baffled by the question, "Uh, you did. Bigger, scarier...um cooler, is what you said in the memo." He laughed and continued, "you cannot have an animal with exaggerated predator features without the corresponding behavioral traits."

Masrani didn't like to have his mistakes thrown back in his face but this ended now, he wouldn't go down like the park's original owner. Standing up he said, "what you're doing here, what you've done. The board will shut this park down, seize your work, everything you've built. And Hammond won't be there to protect you this time."

Henry Wu was incredulous, "all of this exists because of me. If I don't innovate somebody else will, and they won't hesitate."

"You are to cease all activities here immediately," Simon demanded.

Henry Wu laughed again, "you are acting like we are engaged in some kind of mad science. But we are doing what we have done from the beginning. Nothing in Jurassic World is natural. We have always filled gaps in the genome with the DNA of other animals. And, if their genetic code was pure, many of them would look quite different. But you didn't ask for reality, you asked for more teeth. Just ask your buddy Dr. Oliver, he'll tell you the same thing. It was his research that lead us to Indominus and his modified Raptors." He said driving the point home with Masrani.

Caught off guard with that statement Simon found himself raising his voice, "I never asked for a monster!"

"Monster is a relative term, Mr. Masrani. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We're just used to being the cat," Henry replied, keeping a calm and collected demeanor.

Back at Paddock 11 Jason had one of the raptors locked into a containment unit when his boss Ivan Ozien approached him. He really didn't like the man but since Tommy went MIA about an hour ago he had no choice but to endure the encounter alone. Jason remained focused on the raptor before him and pretended not to notice Ozien when he came to stand next to him. The raptor, Delta could sense Jason's unease and became restless in the muzzle that held her head in place. This display seemed to please Ozien because it made the man grin. Finally, Ozien asked, "How fast can they run?"

Jason never taking his attention off Delta replied, "Forty miles an hour, Fifty when they're hungry." He placed his hand on Delta's head to help keep her calm.

"Hmm, you ever open them up, see what they can do?" Ozien asked Jason, he made it sound like he was talking about a sports car and not a vicious predator.

"No, everything we do with these animals happens in a controlled environment. I'm not sure they're ready for the real deal," Jason said feeling especially protective of his animals.

Ozien drew closer to Delta which she did not like, she thrashed in her muzzle and began to snarl. Ozien jumped back away from the raptor, "wow," he said putting his hand over his heart. He tried to brush off the fact that the dinosaur actually startled him and moved towards her again.

Jason's smirked inwardly, "what do you think, Mr. Ozien? Would you like to take one home?" He asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Hey, that's no joke," Ozien replied. "When I was your age, I rescued a wolf pup. The thing was like two months old, could barely walk. It used to sleep by my bed and would watch over me. A few years later, my wife came at me with a steak knife and it ended up taking a chunk out of her arm," Ozien said staring off into space as he remembered this moment from his past.

Jason was surprised to hear the man actually had a wife at one point but kept his expression neutral and asked, "so, did you end up putting it down?"

"Oh, hell no! Me and that animal had an unshakable bond, you know? Just like you and...what's his name?" Ozien asked pointing at the raptor.

Jason looked up at his boss and replied, "Delta, and she's a girl." He said petting her head.

Ozien reaches his hand up towards Delta slowly and asks, "May I?" Jason shakes his head yes and keeps a reassuring hand on the animals neck. As Ozien touches Delta it causes her to snarl and try to move around in her restraints. "Wow," he said again. He's impressed by the muscle and power he can feel within the dinosaur at his fingertips.

Suddenly one of the other workers can be heard yelling, "Code 19!" This sparks a flurry of movement within Paddock 11.

Jason groaned internally, he would bet anything that Tommy was most likely in the middle of what was going on. "These people," he said more to himself that anyone, "they will never learn."

Ozien was obviously confused, "what's a code 19?" He asked.

"It means that the newest asset is out of containment," Jason said looking around at the workers who were listening intently to their radios. He could have sworn he heard a handful of people were already dead. He absentmindedly reached into his pocket for his phone.

Ozien could barely contain the satisfaction this news brought him, maybe he'd get his wish after all. He walked away from Jason, took his phone out of his pocket, and dialed a number. "Hey, yeah, it's me," he said to the person on the other end of the line, "We might have an opportunity here."

Oh boy, Jason thought as he unlocked his phone and clicked on his contacts. He was about to click on Tommy's number when his phone started ringing. Well, well, I guess he missed me too, Jason laughed to himself. "We must share a brain or something, I was literally just calling you," he said as he answered the phone.

"Yeah," was all Tommy could say back to him, he was not in a good mood.

"What happened?" Jason asked picking up on Tommy's angered tone. "I just heard the Code 19 called."

"We've got to find a way to shut it down, this thing will kill everything in her path," Tommy said trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"I agree, Ozien was practically salivating when I told him what the code meant," Jason said looking around to make sure their boss was no where in sight.

"Urgh," Tommy groaned. The last thing he needed was Ozien trying to make a case to use the raptors. He brought his left hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. The elevator doors opened and he walked out the front entrance towards the parking lot.

Hearing the elevator tone, Jason asked, "where are you?"

"I'm just leaving the main building now, I'll meet you back at my place in 15 minutes. I'll fill you in there," Tommy said into the receiver. He didn't see Kimberly come flying out of the stairwell behind him.

Jason was already on the move towards his rental car, "You got it Tommy."

"Hang on, I don't even have my car here," Tommy said realizing he was stranded.

"What? Where's your rental?" Jason asked.

"It's at my place," Tommy said as he turned back around and pulled up short when he almost collided with Kimberly, this also caused him to drop his phone. "Kim! Sorry, I just realiz-" he stopped talking when he saw the fear in her eyes, "what happened?" He asked forgetting Jason and his phone.

"It's my nephews!" Kim exclaimed, "they're in the Gyrospheres up in the Northern Plains!" Her phone rang, it was Trini, she held up a finger and answered her phone, "Trini, please tell me," she said. The color in Kimberly's face seemed to drain instantly at the information she was receiving. "Trini, can you see? Oh...I understand. Call emergency services and have them dispatched to the location, call me with any updates," she hung up. She couldn't look anywhere but down at the ground.

Tommy bent down to pick up his phone, "Jason, sorry, hold on a second," he said to a clearly confused Jason. "Kimberly," he said but she was withdrawn and trying to hold back tears. He nudged her shoulder, "Kim, what happened?"

Kimberly looked at him, a lone tear escaped and fell down her cheek. "All but two of the Gyrospheres are accounted for," she said trying not to panic, "the other two could be seen on camera being attacked by Indominus. Trini said that she could clearly see that Aisha was in one and the boys were in the other, the amount of damage..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

Tommy didn't know what to say, he turned his attention back to his cellphone. "Yeah, Jason I'm still here," Tommy said keeping his hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "Change of plans, you contact the others and tell them what's going on. I've got something to take care of first."

"What!?" Jason exclaimed, "look I get you've missed her and all but this is hardly the time for reconnecting!"

"What? No! Jason!" Tommy admonished his friend. "Kimberly's nephews were just attacked while inside a Gyrosphere by this dinosaur. I'm going to help her find them," Tommy said looking at Kimberly. He knew there would be no preventing her from going out to the Northern Plains, at least if he went with her he could protect her.

"Oh, I see," Jason said sighing. He also knew that she'd go out there with or without anyone. "Alright, call me when you can. I'll contact the others and then get back to Paddock 11 to keep an eye on Ozien."

"Thanks Jas, I'll call you soon." Tommy said hanging up. Kimberly had her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection and was trying her best to stay calm. Reaching up Tommy placed both of his hands on her shoulders, "Kim, we'll find them," he said trying to reassure her. "But first, we need a jeep and a gun for protection, I'm not driving your car out there."

Kimberly took a deep breath and pointed to her left, "yeah...this," she cleared the emotion out of her throat, "this way." With that they walked back towards the main building.

 _ **Authors notes – so what's everyone think so far? Too fast, too slow? I hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it :-) Happy reading! ~ SJStarke**_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _ **Boy, Do I Hate Being Right All The Time...**_

It didn't take Kimberly long to find Tommy a rifle or the keys to one of the jeeps owned by the park. She handed both to him without saying anything, she was barely hanging on to her sanity. Tommy wanted to comfort her but knew anything he said or did would do little to help her right now. He really didn't want her to go out to the Northern Plains with him, especially since they didn't really know the state of the Gyrospheres or passengers that had been inside them. Kimberly had seen a lot of things in her young life, that he knew, but this could be devastating. He also knew that her mind was already made up and that there wasn't much he would be able to do to change it. Hopefully with any luck, emergency services would be first to arrive on scene and be able to update them before they got out there. The two of them walked out to the jeep together in silence. Once they were both inside, Tommy fired it up and steered it towards a trail that would take them along the perimeter of the park and out to the Northern Plains. He drove past the fence and onto the trail before he chanced taking a look at Kimberly. The person riding next to him was almost unrecognizable compared to the person he'd seen at his bungalow just a few short hours ago. She had gone pale and her steely expression shown the turmoil that was occurring inside her mind. Her could see the pain she was feeling behind those doe eyes, she began to blink faster as if she was trying hard to prevent the tears from falling. She was mindlessly making fists with her hands. Tommy had to look back at the road but reached out to take one of Kimberly's hands.

At first she wanted to scream don't and take her hand away from his but she stopped herself as any comfort was better than none at all. The weight of the day was starting to become too much for Kimberly to handle and the tears started to fall. She couldn't fight it anymore and she said, "please, just lie to me and tell me they're fine." She used her other hand to rub it across her face and wipe the tears from her eyes.

Tommy felt heartbroken for Kim, he wanted more than anything to protect her from whatever waited for them at the end of this trail. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything in response and just squeezed her hand.

She took a deep breath and looked over at him and asked, "you don't think they're alive, do you?" It might have been years since they worked together but she still knew him well enough to know why he wouldn't comment.

Tommy kept his eyes on the road and said, "I honestly don't know Kim." He was about to say more but they came to a clearing in the trail and something caught his eye. He slowed the jeep down and came to a stop a short distance from a dinosaur that was laying on it's side. It appeared to be alive but struggling to move, Tommy put the jeep in park. Grabbing the rifle and before he got out he said, "wait here."

Kimberly looked out at the animal laying in the open field and the guilt she'd been feeling grew a little heavier. She watched Tommy approach the dinosaur, as he came around the animal's head he crouched down and put the rifle on the ground. The expression on Tommy's face became pained as he bent down to place his hands on the dinosaur's neck. Fresh tears stung Kimberly's eyes as she watched Tommy tend to the wounded dinosaur. Watching him made her feel a longing she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time. As those thoughts flooded her mind it also caused her to feel worse for breaking his heart all those years ago. Kimberly was unaware just how much this animal's suffering was weighing on Tommy's conscience but she could still see him struggling with the decision to put the animal out of it's misery. She decided to get out of the jeep and walked up to Tommy and the Apatosaurus, she could hear him whispering to the animal. Once she was next to them she knelt down and also placed her hands on the dinosaur's head and neck to offer it comfort in it's final moments. She looked down the length of the Apatosaurus's body to see claw marks that were obviously from Indominus. With tears in her eyes and emotion lining her voice she whispered, "what have we done?" She continued to stroke the animals head and neck while it continued to struggle through it's pain.

"It's my fault," Tommy said not looking up at Kimberly. He felt nauseated, after everything he'd done in his life nothing could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. He had promised himself after his stint as the evil green ranger that he would do anything in his power to use his abilities for only good. How could he have been so naive to believe that his research wouldn't fall into the wrong hands?

"Tommy, no," Kimberly said to him, "you had no way of knowing."

Tommy cut her off and said bitterly, "yes Kim, I did. Me. I'm the one who is responsible for all of this. Indominus and the raptors were bread because of my research." He looked up at her.

"What? I don't understand," she said looking confused. She failed to see how that was even remotely possible.

"When I was in college I had an internship working for Anton Mercer and Mercer Industries, through our research we discovered how to combine different types of DNA, particularly dinosaur DNA. We could combine it in such a way that behavioral traits could be exploited," he paused sighing, "and enhanced," he finished coldly as he looked back down at the Apatosaurus. "I had believed Anton when he said he wanted to exploit only the non-violent traits, he wanted to do what Hammond had failed to do. But then he transformed into Mesogog and everything went to hell. I thought that by destroying our lab that all my research went up with it...I was wrong, Mesogog had taken it and shared it with Ingen, knowing they'd jump at the opportunity to create bigger and scarier dinosaurs. I never knew for sure until I got the call from Jason regarding the Raptor program. I should have known that this would happen, especially after everything I've already been through..." he trailed off not wanting to vocalize his failure.

Kimberly didn't know what to say at first, her heart broke anew for her former boyfriend. She knew better than anyone how passionate he was about his abilities being used for good; especially after his brief foray into being evil. As the dinosaur died under their finger tips she reached out to take Tommy's hand in hers. "Tommy," she said but he couldn't take it and he got up and walked away. She followed him and grabbed his arm again, "please, wait." He stopped and turned to face her, his expression hard. "Tommy, in all the time I've known you, I've never known you to do anything unless you were sure about it and I've never known you to continue to do something that felt wrong," she took both of his hands in hers and looked into his eyes, "trouble always seems to find it's way into our lives but we've always managed to work through it. And you've worked especially hard all your life to right the wrongs that happened when your ability to choose was taken away from you," she said remembering what happened when he had been under Rita's control. Tommy's hardened expression started to soften, and she continued, "you can't blame yourself for what others have done, all we can do now is work together in making it right again," she finished stepping closer to him to rub his forearms. Her expression soft yet serious about her promise to help him.

Tommy gave her a small smile, he rested his hands on her small waist and bent his head down to touch his forehead to hers. Closing his eyes he whispered, "I've missed you so much Kimberly Hart." If he hadn't known for sure before, he knew now that he would always love her. She had always been able to center him when he needed it most – it was why they had always been able to work together as rangers and as a couple. A small pang of guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, if only he'd fought a little bit harder for her and for them. He wished that these were different circumstances so that he could tell her what he felt in the moment, but he knew deep down that this wasn't the time.

"I've missed you too," she said, her voice filled with emotion. She hated like hell to break the contact and the moment but they had to keep moving. She felt guilty for even allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of his hands on her waist and his forehead against hers.

Kimberly stepped back to look up at Tommy and before she was able to say anymore he nodded again and said, "I know, we have to move along." Before he let her go completely he bent down and kissed her forehead lightly. He then turned and bent down to retrieve the rifle and walked back to the jeep with Kimberly following in his wake. Her mind was reeling with different thoughts and emotions.

As the jeep made it's way down the path through the open field the sight ahead made them both feel even more sad, the whole herd of Apatosauruses had been slain by the Indominus Rex. "She didn't eat them," Tommy said in disbelief, "she's killing for sport," his voice filled with sadness.

Kimberly couldn't say anything, she felt she'd be sick if she tried to speak. If these animals looked this bad, how would the Gyrospheres look? She looked down at her phone and willed Fred to call her, fresh tears stinging her eyes again. Tommy kept driving towards the location of the two spheres, he silently prayed that the boys and Aisha were okay. As they drew near Kimberly's phone rang, it was Trini. Kimberly looked at her phone for a moment trying to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to hear, "Trini," was all she could say. As she listened to the news from her friend working in the control room she seemed to relax and said, "oh thank god, but what about the boys? What do you mean they're no where to be found? Where could, oh I see," she took a deep breath, "okay Trin, thanks. If there's anything else call me back," she said and hung up. She closed her eyes again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She finally turned to Tommy and said, "emergency services found the Gyrospheres, Aisha is alive but injured, they are taking her to the medical building," she paused and had to take a steadying breath.

"What about the boys?" Tommy asked apprehensively.

"The sphere is there but they are not," she said going pale again. "They're gone."

Tommy didn't respond, instead he chose to shake his head in understanding. Again he reached over to take her hand. With any luck, he thought, if they are gone it means they got out and ran. That's what he was hoping anyways, he wouldn't know for sure until he was able to see if for himself. After a few more minutes they crested the hill that would lead them down towards the area where the Gyrospheres were located. Emergency services had already left with Aisha, only one vehicle had stayed behind to survey the damage to the wall and both spheres. Kimberly got out of the jeep and asked one of the workers which sphere had held the boys. Tommy tried to calm her down but she was in panic mode and she ran towards the sphere that the worker had pointed to.

"No, no, no, no," Kimberly cried as she ran around it and noticed Fred's cell phone upside down in the dirt. She picked it up and saw that the screen was badly cracked, a distorted picture could be seen behind the broken glass.

Kimberly hadn't even noticed that Tommy came to stand right behind her and was looking around for tracks and other clues. "They got out," he said looking down at the dirt, Kimberly looked up at him. "Look," he said pointing down at the dirt indicating the two different sets of tracks. The two of them followed the boys' tracks until they came to a stop at the edge of the cliff leading down to the pool of water below.

"Oh my god, they jumped!" Kimberly exclaimed, forgetting herself she began to scream, "Fred! Justin!" Panic was clearly taking over as she looked frantically around and down below.

"Hey, hey, hey," Tommy said taking a hold of her before she looked too far over the edge and fell. He also had to stop her from yelling as he didn't want to give Indominus a reason to return to the location.

"Let me go," she flailed moving back from him, "I'm not one of your damn animals!" She wasn't in any frame of mind to think rationally or calmly. She was unaware how dangerously close she was to the edge of the cliff.

Without thinking or hesitating Tommy reached out and pulled her away from the edge. "Listen," he said to her calmly, cupping her cheek in his hand. When she relaxed slightly he continued, "those boys are still alive but you and I wont be if you continue to scream and flail like that."

"Well what do you suggest we do, Tommy? You want to pick up their scent and track their footprints?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Kimberly we were power rangers not the Navajo Tribe," he said sarcastically. Looking at her with a more serious expression he said, "you go back, check on Aisha, and I'll keep looking for them."

"No, I'm coming with you," she said also looking serious.

"Kim," he sighed knowing there was nothing he would be able to say to change her mind.

"No Tommy, I'm going," she said crossing her arms and jutting her foot out. Tommy couldn't hide the smirk that formed on his face, he really wished this was a different time and that they where anywhere else. Kimberly was able to sense Tommy's improper thoughts and said, "hey, don't you look at me that way, now is not the time for that." As much as I wish it was, she thought having those same improper thoughts.

Sighing again he said, "fine, at least you're wearing boots and not high heels...but lets get one thing straight Pinky I'm in charge out there, you do exactly what I say," he said sternly.

"Excuse me?" She asked, "listen ranger boy -" she started to argue but was cut off.

Tommy had raised his hands in surrender and continued more calmly, "just relax. It'll be like taking a stroll through the woods, 65 million years ago." He pointed the rifle towards the trail that would lead them down to the base of the pond and indicated that she could go first. She walked forward and then he began walking behind her and shook his head. This is going to be a long day...but at least the view is nice he thought to himself. A moment later he almost walked into a branch and he realized that he needed to start paying attention to where he was walking and not to his companion's backside. He had to pick up his pace to fall in step next to Kimberly and the two of them continued walking down the embankment in silence.

The boys had no idea what time it was but they felt like they'd been walking for hours. Both of them were tired and hungry but continued walking forward in hopes of finding their way out of the jungle. Fred was actively trying not to panic but the thought of being lost in the middle of the woods with no cellphone and dinosaurs that could eat them in one bite was starting to bother him more and more. He looked over at his brother and saw that Justin was struggling to keep up, he slowed his pace and asked, "you doing okay over there?"

"Yeah," he paused for a second and looked at his brother, worry evident in his eyes, "what if we can't find our way out?" Justin was scared and wished they were back at the visitor's center with their Aunt Kimberly.

"Don't think like that," Fred said coming to a stop and putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "We will get out of here, I promise you." Although Fred wasn't so sure of this himself, he had to remain calm for his younger brother. Justin looked up at his older brother and shook his head in agreement even though he wasn't entirely sure his brother could make such a promise. The two boys started walking again but Fred made a point to walk a little slower so his brother could keep up with him. A little ways down the trail they came upon a small opening in the foliage and as they walked through it they saw what looked like doors growing out of the jungle. Fred and Justin came to a stop at the base of the steps leading up to them. They looked at each other and back at the old abandoned building that stood derelict before them. Cautiously they walked up the steps and through the doors that hadn't been opened in many years. Once they were through, the boys saw a large room that looked as if it had been swallowed by the jungle, there was overgrowth all throughout the cavernous lobby of the original Jurassic Park. The boys looked around the room taking in the scene before them and proceeded to move deeper into the abandoned building. As they walked around they noticed the faded paint and markings on the walls from years of neglect and animal inhabitants. After a while of walking around the building the boys came to a garage that held two park jeeps. Both of the boys became excited by the prospect of maybe having a ride out of there.

"Wow," said Justin. "It's a 1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, Sand Beige," he said walking up to one of the Jeeps and touching the original Jurassic Park logo.

"Hey," Fred said, "you remember when we fixed up Grandpa's old Malibu?" He asked indicating the toolboxes that sat against the wall that was directly across from where they were standing. The two boys looked at each other and smiled.

Back in the control room at Jurassic World the room buzzed with nervous activity. People were at their stations trying to come to terms with what was happening inside the park. Many of the workers were in denial that the situation could not be brought under control. Adam and Trini were sitting next to each other at the same computer, both of them were talking to Jason on a conference call. Trini looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to the two of them before continuing, "Aisha was injured badly but they got to her in time. Kimberly's nephews are both missing, it appears that they ran off after Indominus broke open their Gyrosphere. Tommy and Kimberly are searching for them," she paused taking a breath.

"Jesus," Jason said, "I don't like this guys, we need to find away to neutralize this thing before anyone else gets hurt."

"We know Jas," Adam said, "every time this thing kills something it moves further south..." he paused when he realized, "it's headed right for the park," he said pointing at the screen in front of him and Trini.

"Oh god," Trini said realizing a bigger problem, "Indominus can detect thermal radiation; all of our emergency measures just brought everyone together."

"And with all those warm bodies in one place," Adam started.

"This place just became a dinner buffet," Jason finished the sentence.

The doors to the control room opened causing Adam and Trini to turn their attention behind them. Ivan Ozien was walking towards Simon Masrani, they could hear him say, "you know why I'm here. We've been working on an application for those Raptors for over a year. They can hunt and kill that creature."

"Jason," Trini said, "I think we've got a bigger problem." She said watching the exchange between the two men. She could sense tension building between the two of them and as it continued to build, Simon Masrani stood up straighter. Finally squaring his shoulders he turned and walked away from Ivan Ozien and out the doors. She and Adam turned back to their computer screen before Ozien looked their way and continued their conversation with Jason. Neither of them felt very confident about how this situation was going to play out.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Welcome to Jurassic Park_

 _Moments ago:_ "You know why I'm here," Ivan Ozien said to his boss. "We've been working on an application for those Raptors for over a year. They can hunt and kill that creature."

"But your program was to test for intelligence," Simon replied looking at the squat little man walking towards him.

"Yeah it was, and we did. And in the process we learned something. They follow orders," Ozien continued as if he was trying to sell a car, "you see, the solution to your crisis is standing right in front of you," he finished his statement by spreading his arms wide as if to emphasize his own importance.

Masrani was neither sold or impressed by the arrogance radiating off the man before him. These paramilitary types are all the same, he thought to himself. "Let me be as clear as I can, no Velociraptors are going to be set loose on this island," Simon stated standing up a little straighter.

"You're out of your mind!" Ozien said raising his voice, "what are you going to do with all these people? You've got 20,000 people here with no place to go! What are you going to do for them? That thing is a killing machine and it will not stop!" He pointed at the wall across from them unable to believe Masrani's inability to see reason.

Masrani stood his ground against Ozien and said, "Okay, I intend to personally look into your project to determine it's viability within the moral principles of this company," he hoped the finality of his statement was not lost on Ozien.

"Okay, boss," Ivan said pulling back on his stance; for now. "What's your next move?" He asked. He had a feeling he would get his chance to use the Raptors before this situation was under control, nothing these people have done had worked so far.

"I'll handle it," Masrani said as he decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands. He was not going to be bullied in the control room of his own park, he looked up at the monitors one last time before turning away and grabbed his cell phone. Simon Masrani then made the call to have the helicopter prepared for take off with the M134 machine gun. It was time to put Indominus down permanently before anyone else was killed.

The jungle seemed to continue on for miles with no visible end in sight, Kimberly was beginning to regret not having a bottle of water with her or having a hair tie to pull her hair into a ponytail. The sweat that was pouring off of her body was not helping her already dismal mood. She thought it better not to vocalize her discomfort as it would take too much energy and quite frankly she didn't want to hear it, even from herself. She peaked over at her walking companion to see how he was holding up, his expression giving nothing away. Rather than wasting the energy to find out, she decided to keep walking along the trail in search of her nephews. She couldn't believe how far the two had walked and there was still no other sign of them. Fatigue was starting to take it's toll on the former pink ranger because she was starting to wonder whether or not there were other forces at work here, she hadn't felt this uneasy since her power coin was stolen. Deep down she knew that Rita and Zedd had been defeated and that there were no new threats from other worlds that she was aware of, but still this felt to her like something out of her past. What she wouldn't give for her morphing abilities, with those came the ability to teleport and access to different resources that would make this situation a heck of a lot easier to handle. One in particular her Pterodactyl Zord. Trudging onward she recalled the last time she was traveling through a jungle without her powers, she'd had the same exact thoughts back then. Looking around she half expected Tangus to jump out at them any minute now, heck she'd take them or even Putties for that matter, anything to distract her from the mess she was currently in. All these crazy thoughts actually made her grin like a fool, she never thought she'd find herself longing for Tangus or Putties.

Tommy couldn't believe the distance they had traveled and had yet to come across Fred or Justin Hart, he was even more surprised to see that there were still footprints to follow. He silently prayed that they would find the two boys relatively unscathed once they caught up with them. Tommy wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it should the worst happen. He couldn't help the negative thoughts that were swirling in his mind with each step they took, the chances of them surviving in this jungle alone was rapidly decreasing. Tommy wanted to believe deep down that everything was going to turn out okay but he knew eventually their luck will run out if they don't catch up to the boys soon. Then they still had to deal with Indominus. He looked over at Kimberly and was taken aback. Is she...smiling? All Tommy could think was that the weight of the day and the heat were taking it's toll on her. Intrigued by this behavior he had to ask, "you're not cracking up on me now are you?" The question startled her causing her to look up and before she could respond she lost sight of where she was walking and she tripped over a rock. Tommy was already there waiting to catch her before she hit the ground, deja-vu hitting them both at the same time. Tommy took a breath and helped Kimberly stand up right before apologizing.

Kimberly smoothed out her shirt and skort in an attempt to compose herself before saying, "it's okay. I must have looked pretty ridiculous a second ago." A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

"I would love to know what that was all about," Tommy said wondering what could have been so amusing given their current situation.

Kimberly tucked her hair behind her ear and chuckled before responding, "I was just thinking about how much I really miss my powers, and that I would rather be facing off against Putties or even Tangus right now," she laughed again and looked around the jungle before looking back at Tommy, "I just never thought I'd hear myself say that, like, ever."

"Me either," Tommy chuckled. Those thoughts made him feel a pang of longing for the good old days, back when they were Rangers and still together. He chose to hide his feelings behind a nervous smile and continued, "I'll admit life was a lot easier back then."

"It was," Kimberly said feeling the same longing as Tommy, "if only we'd have known back then..." she trailed off. Both of them settled into a comfortable silence before turning back towards the path that would lead them to Fred and Justin. They walked a short distance before Kimberly's thoughts settled back on her nephews and how far into the jungle they had to be, she couldn't believe they hadn't caught up to them yet. "God, where are those boys!?" She said starting to feel panicked again.

Tommy was about to answer but the two of them came to an opening in the forest and once they walked through it the two of them came face to face with the remnants of the old park's main building. He couldn't help himself, "Welcome to -"

"Do not finish what I know you're about to say," she warned while silently cursing Adam. She really did love Adam but right now she was not in the mood for how giddy he would be if he knew they had come across the original Jurassic Park. Silently Kimberly hoped now with any luck the boys would be safe and sound beyond those doors. The two of them walked into the dilapidated visitor's center. Kimberly wasn't sure whether or not she should starting yelling for Fred and Justin. She stopped moving around for a moment to listen for any indication they might be close by.

Tommy meanwhile started looking around the overgrown room to see what direction the two boys traveled. Walking over to what looked like a disturbed pile of garbage and dirt Tommy called, "Kim." When she walked over to him he pointed to the tracks on the dirt covered floor. The two of them continued to follow the boys' footprints. While Kimberly was thankful there were still prints to follow she was also feeling annoyed that it seemed they would continue to follow footprints forever without finding Fred or Justin.

As Kimberly and Tommy moved further into what was once Jurassic Park, Kimberly began to feel the weight of the day taking it's toll once again. She was about to start yelling when she heard the faint sound of a motor being started and a vehicle taking off away from them. Kimberly looked towards Tommy who looked back at her, the two of them having the same thoughts. They began running towards the rapidly fading sound. The vehicle was gone by the time they reached the garage but the two knew for sure when they could smell the fumes of aged gas. Tommy entered the garage first and noticed a small sweatshirt that seemed out of place in the run down old building.

"Is this one of theirs?" He asked handing Kimberly the sweatshirt.

"Yes! That's Justin's!" Kimberly exclaimed taking the item and feeling somewhat relieved, she knew that the road leading out of the garage would lead the boys right back to Jurassic World.

Tommy walked up to the other Jeep and set the rifle up against the driver side door. He walked around to the front and started to open the hood. "How the heck did they even get one of these things started?" He asked, amazed that the two young boys had accomplished just that.

Kimberly was about to answer but was interrupted when the ground shook beneath her feet. She ran towards Tommy and the two dropped down in front of the Jeep quickly when they felt the second impact tremor that meant a large animal was near by. As the dust from the ceiling came down on top of them Tommy and Kimberly settled down and kept their eyes fixed on one another. Tommy held his finger up to his lips and Kimberly nodded slowly in agreement. She tried to keep calm but the knots in her stomach made her shiver involuntarily and caused her to breakout in goosebumps. Tommy slowly turned in the opposite direction to see if he could see anything outside. The animal was moving closer as they both could feel the impact from each step. He was about to reach for the gun when the dinosaur's foot came down right outside the opening in the garage. He retreated quickly back to the front of the Jeep and settled in next to Kimberly. The two of them looked at each other as the dinosaur's head entered the garage, neither was able to mask the fear they were feeling. Kimberly refused to look up as the head of Indominus came into view, she couldn't stop the tear that fell down her cheek. Tommy slowly took her hand in his as he brought his forehead to rest against hers. The Jeep began to lurch sideways as Indominus tried to move it out of her way to investigate the smells she was inhaling. Tommy and Kimberly continued holding each other while trying to remain calm, neither dared to breathe as Indominus continued to push at the Jeep that was protecting them. After a few more attempts the dinosaur decided it was not going to move and withdrew from the garage. Tommy waited a moment before turning to grab the rifle. As he stood up with it in hand he helped Kimberly to her feet and they started to retreat out of the garage when Indominus decided to enter in from the side opposite them, the wood and drywall blowing apart easily. Tommy pushed Kimberly through the doorway as the dinosaur plowed through what was left of the garage. They both sprinted forward and jumped over the debris that was blocking their retreat.

Fred and Justin both felt relieved they were able to get the Jeep started and were moving back towards Jurassic World and their Aunt Kimberly. If they had only known that their Aunt was moments away from catching up with them when they finally got the Jeep to turn over. As Fred worked the gears, Justin had a startling thought cross his mind, "wait, I thought you failed your drivers test?" He asked looking at his older brother.

Fred smirked and replied, "only the driving part," earning a small chuckle from Justin. He shifted the Jeep again and continued to drive, hoping he was driving in the right direction. He also hoped they could avoid anymore run ins with any big dinosaurs.

"Adam! Two things!" Kimberly exclaimed into her phone as she continued to sprint, "one, my nephews are driving an old Jurassic Park Jeep back tow- YES! Not the time! Now listen, make sure they enter and are taken somewhere safe until I get back! And two Indominus is right behind us, we're running North on Old Park Road, South of the Gyrosphere Valley, between the old park and the Aviary! Get the ACU out here with real guns this time!" Kimberly was becoming winded quickly as she continued to yell and run away from Indominus. She was straining to hear Adam when one detail in particular caught her off guard and she stopped quick, "they took helicopter? But who's flying it?"

Tommy realized that Kimberly was no longer running beside him and he turned back to grab her and keep her moving. The two resumed their jog up the dirt road, the faint sound of a helicopter could be heard in the distance. As Kimberly and Tommy rounded the bend in the road they came upon a clearing in the trees where they could see Indominus running away from them towards the Aviary. As Adam continued to update Kimberly, a sense of dread started to settle within her when she could see the helicopter inching closer to the rogue dinosaur.

Simon Masrani worked the pedals of the helicopter and was doing okay in keeping it steady. Turning towards his riding companions he asked, "did you boys serve in the Armed Forces?"

One replied, "Afghanistan, Sir."

"Did your General ever fly into battle with you?" Masrani asked as the helicopter started to shake from turbulence. "Whoa, I got it, I got it," he said more to himself than the two ACU Officers riding with him.

"We have eyes on the target, South of the Aviary" the officer in the back said beginning to get the M134 into position.

"Come on boys, look alive," Simon yelled into his headset. He brought the helicopter to hover a short distance above their target.

The ACU Officer next to him indicated to his partner, "10 O'clock." The Officer operating the gun opened fire on Indominus.

Adam and Trini were glued to the TV monitors on the wall in front of them. They could see Indominus running towards the Aviary. As the gun on the helicopter fired down on Indominus, she could be seen running away from the shots and straight through the glass wall of the Aviary. Reptiles could then be seen flying in every direction and out the new opening in the wall.

"Looks like the fox got into the hen house," Ivan Ozien said as he hovered just above Adam and Trini. Neither of them looked up at him even though he caught them off guard with his statement. Both believed the man was way too excited considering all the death and destruction this dinosaur has caused. No one could prepare them for what was to come next.

"Pull up, pull up, pull up!" One of the ACU Officers yelled as Dimorphodons and Pteranodons began to swarm the helicopter.

Simon Masrani tries to keep the helicopter under control but as more and more reptiles fly into the rotor blades the craft begins to wobble and looses altitude. Regret settles in his stomach as the helicopter dies out and it speeds downward towards the earth. What's left of the Aviary walls coming ever closer as the bird continues it's free fall out of the sky, Simon Masrani closes his eyes before impact and the helicopter is no more.

Kimberly looks on in horror as the winged dinosaurs take to the sky and collide with the hovering helicopter. Tears sting her eyes as the engines die out and the helicopter crashes through the remnants of the Aviary walls and it explodes. Tommy grabs her arm as Dimorphodons and Pteranodons start to fly closer to their location. Indominus roars behind them causing them to run faster and further away from the Aviary. After a few feet Kimberly looks to her right and notices a pull-off where there is a gathering of maintenance vehicles that are starting to drive away from them and the approaching dinosaur. Tommy notices this too and they both sprint faster towards the pull-off in hopes of finding a ride back to the main park. The two of them jump on a vacant four-wheeler and follow the group back to Jurassic World.

Fred continues to put distance between them and the old Jurassic Park when he notices something in the rear view mirror. Wrinkling his nose he looks in the mirror again and then has to look behind him to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Turning back to the front he tries to keep the panic out of his voice, "hang on, I'm going to speed up."

"Why, what's wrong?" Justin asks looking up at his brother concerned. Seeing the expression on his brother's face Justin decides to look behind him. His eye's go wide, "faster Fred! You must go faster! Go, go, go, go!" He exclaims, imploring his brother to increase the speed of the Jeep. He turns back around as the flying dinosaurs start soaring over their heads and can see the perimeter fence. "Fred look! We made it! Hey, open the gate!" He starts to yell waving his hands in the air.

Fred notices this too and begins honking the horn of the Jeep. "Open the gate!" He joins in yelling with his brother, hoping someone will hear them and let them in.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

" _ **We adore chaos because we love to produce order" – M.C. Escher**_

It had started out as a normal workday for Jurassic World Guards Alexander Shea and Sebastian "Sebas" Cain, neither aware of what was unfolding a short distance away.

"You catch the score of that Red Sox game last night?" Sebas asked emphasizing each word with his strong New England accent, knowing full well that his long time partner was a New York native and loathed the thought of his beloved Yankees losing to the boys from _Beantown_.

Shea looked up at the sky and silently asked the baseball gods how he had ever ended up with a partner from Boston, who he actually liked...most of the time. Shaking his head he turned to his partner, "ya know Sebas, we'll just see who's laughing come October." Walking over he clapped his friend on the back and continued towards the other side of the fence to peer out at the wooded area in front of him.

"That we will my friend," Sebas responded turning in the same direction as Officer Shea. "See anything goo-" his question was cut off when he saw the expression on Shea's face. Bringing up his binoculars he looked in the same direction of his partner when he saw something odd. "Is that two boys in a...Jurassic _Park_ Jeep?" He asked no one in particular but looked at Shea who was already raising his radio to his mouth.

"I'm calling it in," he said before pressing the call button, "Control, this is Perimeter 3 Guard Shea, I need to report two minors coming towards the fence, awaiting instructions, over." As the jeep came closer he could hear the faint sounds of a horn and could see that the boys were yelling. Focusing on them he was able to see the boy in the passenger side pointing towards the sky. As he brought the binoculars up to the sky he was shocked to see that there were dinosaurs flying towards them. "Holy sh-" his scream cut short by a voice coming through on the radio.

"Perimeter 3, this is Control Operator Adam Park, you are to open the gate immediately and then report to Meeting Room C for further instructions," the voice coming from the radio said.

"He doesn't have to tell me twice," Sebas said while keying the control panel on the gate. As soon as the jeep cleared the gate he flipped the switch and the gate swung the other way. Neither he nor Shea waited for the gate to close as Dimorphodons and Pteranodons flew closer to their location. Once inside the main stairwell of the fence the two Officers glanced at each other, neither having to voice what they were thinking: _So much for a quiet day at the office_. Shortly after they closed the door behind them the radio started squawking with panicked voices. Sebas finding his voice first, "come on man, lets go give the others a hand." Shea nodding his approval followed after his partner, the two of them ran towards Meeting Room C to get briefed on the situation.

Fred felt an instant flood of relief when he saw that the gate was opening for them to go through. He just hoped it would be easy for them to find their way to their Aunt Kim and that she wouldn't be too mad at them for wondering off. Driving through the opening he chanced a look in the rear view mirror and saw that the dinosaurs were flying closer. Following the signs on the access road he turned towards the Main Visitor Center. He parked in the first spot he came to when Dimorphodons and Pteranodons started swooping down at guests. As chaos erupted all around them Fred and Justin got out of the Jeep and ran towards an alley way between buildings. Looking at his little brother Fred said, "stay close to me so we don't lose each other." Justin didn't respond but shook his head in agreement, determined to do as his brother asked.

Holding hands the boys ran down the alley and came out in front of the Mosasaurus attraction. The boys were able to see the Visitor's Center from where they were standing but knew in the mayhem that it was going to be difficult to navigate together. Men, women, and children were running frantically in all directions now, trying to avoid the attacks coming from the sky. Gripping each other a little tighter the boys ran into the fury in hopes of making it to the other side in one piece.

Tommy was so glad they were able to secure a ride back to the park, he just hoped that they didn't leave someone else stranded with the Indominus Rex on the loose. Pushing the worrisome thought aside he pushed down on the throttle and made the ATV go as fast as he dared to, keeping in mind the passenger holding on behind him.

Kimberly was having a hard time thinking about anything other than hanging on for dear life, the noise from the air rushing past her was deafening. She thought better of trying to look on either side of Tommy to see if she knew where they were on the trail. The ATV dodged and weaved potholes and other vehicles that were in it's path, causing Kimberly to flinch as overgrowth and road debris brushed against her bare arms and legs. She decided to focus on the back of Tommy's neck and hold on just a little tighter to help calm her already frantic mind.

Tommy saw the perimeter gate coming fast and hoped there was an opening they could go through. As he drove closer to it he could see that the gate was already swinging open and as the ATV flew through it he slowed down and turned in the direction of the parking lot, thankful he was able to find a spot without getting hit by the many cars in pursuit of an exit. Helping Kimberly off he looked around for a safe place for them to regroup and come up with a plan. Before he was able to speak he noticed Kimberly taking her phone out of her pocket and answering it.

Putting a hand over her opposite ear, Kimberly yelled, "Adam!"

"Kimberly, we found them!" Adam exclaimed, "they are down by the Mosasaurus tank and headed this way. Where are you!?"

Kimberly could have feinted from the relief she felt that Adam had eyes on her nephews, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, thanking whoever was watching over them. "We're right next to the East side of the Visitor Center," she replied.

"If you can get to the concourse from your location they will be ahead of you coming your way, they just ran past Ben & Jerry's," Adam said to her.

"You're the best Adam, I'll call you back," she said before hanging up. Turning to Tommy she told him about her nephews and pointed in the direction they needed to go. They set off towards the concourse which was proving difficult with all the flying dinosaurs swooping down from overhead. Tommy tried staying as close to Kim as possible while they looked for the two boys but ended up separated a few steps later. As she dodged people and Pteranodons, Kimberly noticed a vacant table near by and ran on top of it to get a better vantage point. As she started to yell into the crowd for her nephews, Tommy stayed below to keep an eye out for the two boys. It was proving difficult with all the people and dinosaurs moving in every which direction. As he dodged person after person he caught sight of a Dimorphodon that was heading in Kimberly's direction. He tried to get her attention but knew it was no use with all the noise and panic occurring around them. Knowing it was too risky to shot the dinosaur with so many people around, Tommy then decided to run towards the table. Dodging more people he leapt onto the table, grabbed hold of Kimberly and jumped off with her before it could grab her. Once on the ground they started to run closer to one of the buildings when another Pteranodon overshot the person it was aiming for and flew into them knocking them apart. As Tommy fell to the ground the rifle went flying away from him.

The boys were having just as much trouble trying to make their way back to the Visitor's Center. Justin tried his hardest to make sure he was keeping up with Fred as he didn't want to be the reason they were eaten by dinosaurs. They both thought they were doing pretty good at dodging the crowd when a woman plowed her way between them as she unsuccessfully tried to get away from a Pteranodon. Justin fell hard on the sidewalk and scuffed one of his knees and both of his hands. Slowly he started to pick himself up but was forced to move faster when two Dimorphodons collided with one another and one of them fell out of the sky in Justin's direction. Panicking, he backed himself up against a wall as the dinosaur's beak came to a stop only inches from his chest.

Fred was finally able to get over to where his brother fell moments after the dinosaur stopped moving. "Are you okay," he asked as he examined Justin's hands and knee. Justin was shaking his head yes when they heard the Mosasaurus rise up out of it's pool to snatch both a person and the Pteranodon who had the person in it's clutches out of the sky. Justin had to look away and as he did he noticed his Aunt Kim a short distance away standing on a table looking in their direction.

"Fred, Fred! It's Aunt Kim!" Justin started shouting and pointing. Getting to their feet they both looked in the direction of where Justin was pointing. Before they could start yelling her name they saw a man fly up onto the table and leap off with her before a Dimorphodon could grab her. Seeing where the two of them landed, Fred and Justin gripped each other tightly and headed in that direction.

Kimberly had thought she spotted the boys but wouldn't know for sure as she had to jump off the table to avoid being attacked. She was about to look back in that direction when she was hit again from behind and fell forward. As she turned to see what had hit her the gun came to rest right next to her leg. Looking for Tommy she saw that he was about to be mauled by a Pteranodon. Without hesitating she jumped up with the rifle and began to fire at the dinosaur. As the Pteranodon fell limp on top of Tommy she lowered the rifle.

Tommy had thought for sure he was a goner when all of a sudden the dinosaur stopped moving and he was able to push it to the ground. His confusion was short lived when he looked up and saw Kimberly as she lowered the rifle from her shoulder. Time seemed to stop as a flood of emotions slammed Tommy right in the gut, he was transported back to a time where they were still fighting side by side. He'd seen that same look in her eyes countless times, the one where you don't take your eye off your target until you're sure it's dead. Though she might be older, there she was ready to take on the world, covered in dirt, her hair a mess, and stepping up to protect him as the fighter she always had been. She'd never looked more beautiful to him than she did right now. As he got up he knew it was about time he'd better do something about it.

Kimberly thought he was coming to take back the rifle and was pleasantly surprise when he pushed it to the side and pulled her against him instead. As his lips crashed into hers she let the rifle slide to the ground as she wove her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened as their hunger for each other over took their ability to think rationally. It felt familiar yet new all at the same time, each was pouring what they hadn't been able to say to the other in the 18 years they'd been apart. As the kiss ended they pulled apart slowly but continued looking into each others eyes as though to continue their silent conversation. The two of them may have stayed that way forever if Kim hadn't heard her name being yelled from a short distance away. Kimberly's emotions were at a fever pitch when she realized it was Justin's voice that she heard and it brought her back to the present. When she looked over and saw the two of them running towards her and Tommy, tears came instantly.

"Fred! Justin! Oh my God!" She yelled running up to them and enveloping them both into a hug. She squatted down in front of them to look them over, feelings of guilt growing with every cut and scrape she saw on their hands and faces. "Are you guys okay," she asked trying to control her sobs.

As Justin tried to reassure their Aunt that they were okay, Fred couldn't help but be distracted by the man he'd seen kissing his Aunt just a few moments ago. He looked somewhat familiar to him but he really couldn't place where he'd seen him before. Finally he had to know, "who's that?" He asked indicating Tommy.

Kimberly blushed instantly, unsure of how to answer the question, "oh, he's – well," she stammered, "we work together," was the answer she settled on. She knew Justin believed her but the disapproving look she got from Fred told her he saw more than she had hoped. But even though the look he gave her said, _sure Aunt Kim I kiss my co-workers all the time,_ he decided not to say anything further.

Even though they were off to the side of the concourse, Tommy knew that they couldn't stay there forever, he had to get them all to safety. Stepping up to them he finally said, "we've gotta go." Without any further questions or arguments the four of them set off for the Visitor's Center. People were still running in every which direction trying to get away from the mayhem happening everywhere. They were jogging between buildings when Tommy spotted a Park Jeep parked off to the side of an exhibit house. Pointing he said, "over there," and the group ran towards it. He felt even luckier when he found that it was unlocked and had keys inside it. He was helping Justin into the backseat when a new wave of panicked park goers started funneling through a broken gate. He jumped into the front seat and watched as more people ran away from Pteranodons and Dimorphodons.

As Tommy started the Jeep and put it in drive Kimberly's phone started to ring. "Adam, we have the boys an-" she started to say.

"Kimberly listen, we have a problem," Adam said into his headset. He started to outline what had been happening in the Control Room since Mr. Masrani's Helicopter crash.

Tommy was looking for an opening in the crowd to pull the Jeep into when he head Kimberly ask, "use the raptors, what do you mean?" This caused Tommy to hit the breaks abruptly. "Son of a Bitch!" He yelled to no one in particular. Yet judging by the look on his face she knew Tommy knew what that meant and she began to get that sinking feeling again as Adam laid out what had been happening since she last saw him. "Okay Adam thanks for the update, I'm not sure but I will let you know shortly. Okay bye."

As soon as she hit end Tommy was already talking, "Kim I want you to take your nephews and get them to a safe place,"

Before he could even finish his sentence Kim was saying, "I'm not leaving you to deal with this by yourself. The boys will be safe in the control room with Ada-" to which she was cut off by the boys who indicated they wanted to stay with the two of them.

Tommy knew Kimberly could handle herself but knew the boys would be safest with her away from all this, "guys," he sighed, "it's not safe and Kim you need to take care of them." He said indicating her two nephews. "I don't want you anywhere near those raptors, it's too dangerous."

Logic took hold of Kimberly finally, she hadn't spent the whole day looking for these two just to push them off on someone else. "You're right, I'm sorry. But why does it have to be you?" She asked looking at him with her wide brown doe eyes.

He knew he should have never looked over at her, those eyes were always his undoing. Those same eyes had always gotten the former Pink Ranger anything and everything she had ever wanted when they were teenagers. He wanted like hell to turn towards the park exit and let his boss handle this situation by himself. But he knew deep down that he couldn't do that, there was too much at stake. Not to mention the raptors wouldn't listen to anyone else but him. Sighing again he said, "because, I'm the only person the raptors will follow." Kimberly only nodded her understanding but had to look away. He reached over and grabbed her hand and followed the signs for the Visitor's Center.

Looking out the window was doing nothing to improve Kimberly's already dismal mood. She couldn't believe how this day had turned out. Just thinking about everything that had taken place was starting to make her feel queasy. Rather than focusing on what had happened she stamped it down and decided to focus on how angry this situation made her. She just got the boys and Tommy to safety in one location and now they were going to be separated again. As Tommy pulled up between the Visitor's Center and the Administrative Building she could see that a staging area was being set up. Jason Scott was standing next to a table with a bunch of papers on top of it, his face displaying the anger he was clearly feeling. The reason for Jason's current mood looked up from those paper's as Tommy and Kimberly exited the Jeep and walked towards them. Ivan Ozien straightened up and had a look on his face that suggested he had won the lottery, "well, well, the mother hen has finally arrived," he was saying as Tommy walked towards him.

Tommy had every intention of letting him know exactly how he felt but it would be Kimberly who would beat him to the punch...literally.

"Ozien, you Son of a Bitch, you wanted this to happen!" She yelled at him after she gave him her best right hook. She was about to go for another but was grabbed from behind.

"Get the hell out of here! And stay away from my animals," Tommy said as held Kimberly back. He really didn't want to prevent her from turning him into a pile of rubble but this really was his fight and not hers.

Massaging his cheekbone Ozien finally found his voice, "Oh Jesus! How many more people have to die before this mission starts to make sense to you?" He asked squaring up to Tommy.

Jason finally snapped out of his ire and intervened, "this is not a mission, it's a field test!" He may have been slowing easing Tommy back away from their boss but his tone indicative of his willingness to fight the issue if necessary.

Ivan only toned down his anger a fraction, "This is an InGen Situation now. Okay, there are going to be cruise ships that show up here at first light. Everybody's going to get off this island. You're going to watch a news story about how you all saved lives. No, better yet, how your animals saved lives!" The pitch of his voice rising with each sentence.

The three of them looked ready to feed the man standing in front of them to raptors instead. It was Jason who finally spoke, "They've never been out of containment, this is crazy." He knew it was no use.

Ozien confirmed what they already knew, turning and yelling to whoever would listen, "Let's move out!" He turned back to the trio and concluded, "this is happening! With or without you!" He then turned on his heel and was gone.

As he walked away the three of them blew out a collective sigh, the three of them turning in a semicircle. After a moment Tommy and Kimberly moved closer to one another and Tommy absentmindedly put his arm around her. Kimberly either didn't notice or react to it but Jason was thrown by their behavior. His expression went from shock to ear splitting grin in a matter of seconds.

Tommy was the first to notice Jason's shit eating grin and had to know what it was all about, "What?" He finally asked. Kimberly looked between the two of them failing to see what Jason would be grinning about.

"Oh nothing," he said sarcastically, "Just wondering what year it is? I haven't seen you two like this in a long time, made me wonder if we had just time traveled and whether or not Rita or Zedd is going to jump out and surprise us." Naturally Kimberly would have flinched and moved away from Tommy but these were hardly normal circumstances and she was honestly too tired to make a big deal out of it. Before any of them could comment further on the situation Ivan Ozien was screaming like a two-year old summoning them to a briefing. "Well Old Man, he's signing our song." Jason said clapping him on the back. The two former rangers walked away leaving Kimberly looking after them.

After a moment she finally turned back to the Jeep and stopped short when she noticed that her two nephews already standing outside of it watching her. "So, do all your co-workers hug you like that guy does?" Fred had to ask.


End file.
